Zimbabwe's UNSC bid is nothing more than an ego trip disguised as diplomacy

The Zimbabwean government never fails to astonish-constantly parading lofty ambitions that do nothing to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has officially launched Zimbabwe's campaign for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2027-2028. 

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On the surface, this may appear as a bold step into the world of global leadership, a sign that Zimbabwe is ready to reclaim its place on the international stage after years of diplomatic isolation. 

But beneath the fanfare lies a sobering reality: this bid is less about advancing Zimbabwe's interests or strengthening global peace and more about inflating the ego of a ruling elite that thrives on symbolism while ordinary citizens languish in deepening poverty.

The very first question Zimbabweans must ask is simple: what real value does a non-permanent UNSC seat bring to the life of an ordinary Zimbabwean struggling with a broken health system, crumbling schools, collapsing infrastructure, and soaring unemployment? 

The painful truth is, very little-if anything at all.

Non-permanent members of the UNSC may temporarily enjoy the prestige of sitting at the horseshoe table in New York, but they wield no veto power. 

The council's real authority rests with the five permanent members-the United States, China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom-each of whom can block any substantive resolution regardless of how many other countries support it. 

Zimbabwe's voice, even if eloquently expressed, would be drowned out the moment it clashes with the strategic interests of these powers. 

The record is clear: non-permanent members rarely shift the balance on major global conflicts or crises.

Meanwhile, back home, the government presides over a broken social contract. 

According to World Bank statistics, over 80% of Zimbabwe's population lives below the poverty datum line, while unemployment remains alarmingly high, at over 90%, especially among the youth. 

Public hospitals lack medicines, doctors and nurses are underpaid, and patients are told to buy their own painkillers and antibiotics, and bring their own bandages and syringes. 

Schools are starved of resources, with teachers poorly paid and classrooms overcrowded. 

Roads have become death traps, and the national electricity grid is so fragile that ordinary families endure endless blackouts. 

At such a time, the government's decision to divert its limited diplomatic energy and resources toward chasing international prestige is not only misguided but deeply insensitive to the lived realities of its people.

Worse still, Zimbabwe enters this campaign without a coherent foreign policy. 

For years, the government has claimed to be "a friend to all and an enemy to none." 

Yet this empty slogan reflects not principled diplomacy but rather a cowardly refusal to take firm, sometimes uncomfortable, positions in global affairs. 

In an increasingly polarized world, leadership requires clarity, courage, and conviction. 

States that shape the international order are those that stand firmly for principles-even when that means angering other nations.

Take, for example, the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza. 

Since October 2023, at least 63,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 160,000 wounded by Israeli military action, while 1,139 Israelis lost their lives during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, and around 200 were taken hostage. 

Global leaders have been compelled to take clear positions, whether in defense of Israel's security or in condemnation of its brutal assault on civilians. 

And yet, Zimbabwe's voice has been deafeningly silent. 

If Zimbabwe cannot articulate a principled stance on one of the most defining human rights crises of our time, what moral authority does it have to sit on the world's highest body for peace and security? 

A seat without a voice is meaningless.

This push for the UNSC seat mirrors the regime's earlier posturing during Zimbabwe's recent chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). 

Citizens were bombarded with propaganda portraying Mnangagwa's assumption of the rotating chair as a personal endorsement of his "visionary leadership" and even as a kind of regional presidency. 

The reality was far less dramatic. 

The SADC chairmanship rotates annually among member states on a fixed schedule. 

It is largely ceremonial, giving the chair the task of hosting summits and setting discussion agendas, but conferring no real executive power over other countries. 

Zimbabwe's turn came simply because it was next in line-not because of Mnangagwa's brilliance or leadership. 

Yet the regime milked the moment for all it was worth, using it as a tool of domestic propaganda.

The same strategy is already being deployed for the UNSC campaign. 

We can already predict the narrative that will dominate state media if Zimbabwe secures the seat: that Mnangagwa's extraordinary leadership has charmed the world, that Zimbabwe has been entrusted with the fate of global peace, that the international community has rewarded Harare with legitimacy. 

None of this will be true. 

Non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly through regional rotation and political bargaining, not as a coronation of one man's vision.

Beyond the hollow symbolism, several deeper problems emerge. 

First, mounting a campaign for a UNSC seat is expensive. 

It requires sustained lobbying of other UN member states, increased diplomatic representation abroad, and costly promotional activities. 

All of this will be funded by the Zimbabwean taxpayer, whose children go to underfunded schools and whose families cannot access basic healthcare. 

It is yet another example of misplaced priorities by a government that treats international accolades as more important than domestic wellbeing.

Second, Zimbabwe lacks the diplomatic credibility to make meaningful use of such a seat. 

The country remains burdened by a reputation of human rights abuses, disputed elections, and corruption. 

Far from being seen as a champion of justice or peace, Zimbabwe risks being viewed as a spoiler or a token member that aligns its votes with whichever global power offers the most short-term gain. 

Without principled independence, a UNSC seat becomes nothing more than a rented chair at a powerful table.

Third, the UNSC itself is an institution in crisis. 

Many nations, especially in the Global South, have long complained that it is outdated, undemocratic, and unrepresentative. 

The veto power of the P5 ensures that even overwhelming consensus can be thwarted by a single state. 

This has led to paralysis in addressing major crises, from the war in Syria to the invasion of Ukraine to the conflict in Gaza. 

Why should Zimbabwe invest so heavily in joining a body whose very structure prevents fair and effective action?

Ultimately, Zimbabwe's UNSC bid is not about global leadership, regional responsibility, or a commitment to peace. 

It is about ego. 

It is about creating a spectacle to distract from domestic failure. 

It is about portraying President Mnangagwa as a statesman on the world stage, while at home citizens scrape by in misery.

What Zimbabwe needs is not a temporary chair at the UNSC but a government that prioritizes its own people. 

A government that ensures hospitals are stocked, citizens can feed their families, roads are safe, and electricity is reliable. 

A government that crafts a serious foreign policy based on principles of justice, human rights, and solidarity-one that allows Zimbabwe to speak with moral clarity on global issues, even without a UNSC seat. 

Only then can Zimbabwe's voice carry real weight internationally.

Until then, the campaign for a UNSC non-permanent seat should be seen for what it is: a vanity project, a distraction, and an insult to the millions of Zimbabweans whose daily struggles are ignored while their leaders chase empty prestige abroad. 

True global leadership begins at home. 

And Zimbabwe has a very long way to go.

© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/