News / Local
Chamisa questions SADC's integrity
18 Aug 2024 at 12:52hrs | Views
Prominent Zimbabwean opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has sharply criticized the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for endorsing President Emmerson Mnangagwa's leadership by appointing him as the bloc's chairman. Mnangagwa officially assumed the role during a ceremony at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, Harare, succeeding Angola's President João Lourenço.
Chamisa, the former leader of the Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) who recently stepped back from his role, questioned SADC's integrity on social media, asking if the organization was a "community of values or a union of vices." He emphasized that a SADC without standards, values, and principles is "irrelevant and defunct" and cannot be trusted to uphold fairness, peace, and justice for the African people. Chamisa called for a transformation of SADC into an institution that stands with the oppressed rather than the oppressive.
Chamisa has previously sought SADC's intervention in Zimbabwe's disputed 2023 presidential election, which he claims was manipulated by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in favor of Mnangagwa. Despite his efforts, SADC has not taken action on the matter.
In a related development, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, a key ally of Chamisa, chose to attend the SADC summit virtually, allegedly due to ongoing diplomatic tensions with Zimbabwe. This decision was criticized by Fred M'membe, president of Zambia's Socialist Party, who accused Hichilema of lacking wise counsel and described him as a puppet of neocolonial forces. M'membe argued that Hichilema's absence from the summit was a diplomatic miscalculation that would have negative repercussions for Zambia. He also criticized Hichilema's leadership style as intellectually lazy and overly dependent on external influences.
Chamisa, the former leader of the Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) who recently stepped back from his role, questioned SADC's integrity on social media, asking if the organization was a "community of values or a union of vices." He emphasized that a SADC without standards, values, and principles is "irrelevant and defunct" and cannot be trusted to uphold fairness, peace, and justice for the African people. Chamisa called for a transformation of SADC into an institution that stands with the oppressed rather than the oppressive.
Chamisa has previously sought SADC's intervention in Zimbabwe's disputed 2023 presidential election, which he claims was manipulated by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in favor of Mnangagwa. Despite his efforts, SADC has not taken action on the matter.
In a related development, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, a key ally of Chamisa, chose to attend the SADC summit virtually, allegedly due to ongoing diplomatic tensions with Zimbabwe. This decision was criticized by Fred M'membe, president of Zambia's Socialist Party, who accused Hichilema of lacking wise counsel and described him as a puppet of neocolonial forces. M'membe argued that Hichilema's absence from the summit was a diplomatic miscalculation that would have negative repercussions for Zambia. He also criticized Hichilema's leadership style as intellectually lazy and overly dependent on external influences.
Source - NewZimbabwe
