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Clergy urges Mnangagwa, Sadc to act on Mozambique unrest
29 Dec 2024 at 08:46hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in his capacity as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to leverage his position to encourage dialogue in Mozambique following deadly unrest over the country's disputed October elections.
The unrest erupted after Mozambique's Constitutional Court upheld the election results, extending the long tenure of the ruling party, Frelimo, which has been in power for decades. The opposition, which has rejected the results, has been vocal in its discontent, sparking two days of violent protests this week. At least 21 people were confirmed dead, with the violence spreading to petrol stations, police stations, and banks. The death toll since October 21 now stands at 151, according to the election monitoring group Plataforma Decide.
In a statement, the ZCC appealed to SADC to take an active role in addressing the political crisis in Mozambique, urging Mnangagwa to use his influence to foster dialogue among the government and all political parties in Mozambique.
"We call upon the government of Zimbabwe, as the chair of SADC, to use its influence in encouraging the government of Mozambique and all political parties in Mozambique to come together and put the interests of the southern African region ahead," the ZCC said.
Mnangagwa, as the chair of SADC, issued a statement on Wednesday, urging the international community to respect Mozambique's sovereignty and the legitimacy of its electoral process. He also called for all parties to respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court to ensure peace and stability in the country.
However, the statement was met with criticism, with some analysts arguing that it lacked empathy for the victims of the violence and failed to offer concrete solutions to the unrest. Stephen Chan, a professor at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, criticized Mnangagwa's statement, suggesting that it seemed overly focused on legal formalities while ignoring the violence and the democratic expectations of the people.
"Mnangagwa's statement is following a literalist reading of law and legal procedure," Chan said. "It ignores violence, almost as if washing hands of a crisis in democratic expectations. By contrast, the South African offer of facilitation of dialogue is far more statesmanlike and caring of the affected people of Mozambique."
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Ronald Lamola, has echoed the need for urgent dialogue, expressing concern over the escalating situation and the risk of further violence.
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition's regional director, Blessing Vava, also criticized SADC for its inaction on election-related issues in southern Africa, calling on the regional body to facilitate impartial discussions between all parties involved.
"It (SADC) should call all the parties that have been involved and listen to the complaints, and the impartiality of the Judiciary," Vava said. "Mnangagwa's statement also failed to give a way forward in terms of addressing the violence."
On the other hand, political analyst Methuseli Moyo defended Mnangagwa's stance, suggesting that as SADC chair, Mnangagwa needed to remain neutral until the issue was officially presented to him. He argued that the president's call for respect of the results and the maintenance of peace was appropriate for the moment.
"As SADC chair, he has to steer clear of the controversies, until they are officially communicated to his office by the government or the other party in Mozambique," Moyo said. "He did encourage parties to accept results and maintain peace. That was enough to say at that stage. The next level must be behind the scenes government-to-government and SADC initiatives to resolve the matter."
Zanu-PF's Director of Information and Publicity, Farai Marapira, expressed the ruling party's support for democratic processes, stating that the people of Mozambique should accept the election results as the will of the people.
"If anyone is indeed a true democrat and not a subjective democrat who only believes that democracy is only a win, we expect all people to be respecting the result which has come out of Mozambique and for the people to accept that, it is the will of the people," Marapira said.
While the situation in Mozambique remains tense, the ZCC's call for dialogue highlights the critical role that SADC can play in facilitating peace and stability in the region, urging a more proactive stance from Zimbabwe's leadership. The ongoing unrest and the international response have cast a spotlight on the challenges facing southern Africa as it grapples with political crises and the pursuit of democratic processes.
The unrest erupted after Mozambique's Constitutional Court upheld the election results, extending the long tenure of the ruling party, Frelimo, which has been in power for decades. The opposition, which has rejected the results, has been vocal in its discontent, sparking two days of violent protests this week. At least 21 people were confirmed dead, with the violence spreading to petrol stations, police stations, and banks. The death toll since October 21 now stands at 151, according to the election monitoring group Plataforma Decide.
In a statement, the ZCC appealed to SADC to take an active role in addressing the political crisis in Mozambique, urging Mnangagwa to use his influence to foster dialogue among the government and all political parties in Mozambique.
"We call upon the government of Zimbabwe, as the chair of SADC, to use its influence in encouraging the government of Mozambique and all political parties in Mozambique to come together and put the interests of the southern African region ahead," the ZCC said.
Mnangagwa, as the chair of SADC, issued a statement on Wednesday, urging the international community to respect Mozambique's sovereignty and the legitimacy of its electoral process. He also called for all parties to respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court to ensure peace and stability in the country.
However, the statement was met with criticism, with some analysts arguing that it lacked empathy for the victims of the violence and failed to offer concrete solutions to the unrest. Stephen Chan, a professor at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, criticized Mnangagwa's statement, suggesting that it seemed overly focused on legal formalities while ignoring the violence and the democratic expectations of the people.
"Mnangagwa's statement is following a literalist reading of law and legal procedure," Chan said. "It ignores violence, almost as if washing hands of a crisis in democratic expectations. By contrast, the South African offer of facilitation of dialogue is far more statesmanlike and caring of the affected people of Mozambique."
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Ronald Lamola, has echoed the need for urgent dialogue, expressing concern over the escalating situation and the risk of further violence.
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition's regional director, Blessing Vava, also criticized SADC for its inaction on election-related issues in southern Africa, calling on the regional body to facilitate impartial discussions between all parties involved.
"It (SADC) should call all the parties that have been involved and listen to the complaints, and the impartiality of the Judiciary," Vava said. "Mnangagwa's statement also failed to give a way forward in terms of addressing the violence."
On the other hand, political analyst Methuseli Moyo defended Mnangagwa's stance, suggesting that as SADC chair, Mnangagwa needed to remain neutral until the issue was officially presented to him. He argued that the president's call for respect of the results and the maintenance of peace was appropriate for the moment.
"As SADC chair, he has to steer clear of the controversies, until they are officially communicated to his office by the government or the other party in Mozambique," Moyo said. "He did encourage parties to accept results and maintain peace. That was enough to say at that stage. The next level must be behind the scenes government-to-government and SADC initiatives to resolve the matter."
Zanu-PF's Director of Information and Publicity, Farai Marapira, expressed the ruling party's support for democratic processes, stating that the people of Mozambique should accept the election results as the will of the people.
"If anyone is indeed a true democrat and not a subjective democrat who only believes that democracy is only a win, we expect all people to be respecting the result which has come out of Mozambique and for the people to accept that, it is the will of the people," Marapira said.
While the situation in Mozambique remains tense, the ZCC's call for dialogue highlights the critical role that SADC can play in facilitating peace and stability in the region, urging a more proactive stance from Zimbabwe's leadership. The ongoing unrest and the international response have cast a spotlight on the challenges facing southern Africa as it grapples with political crises and the pursuit of democratic processes.
Source - newsday
