THE Southern African Development Community (Sadc) extraordinary summit yesterday ignored the civil unrest in Mozambique triggered by the recently-held elections, which have been disputed by the opposition, saying the region was generally peaceful.
In his opening remarks at the Sadc extraordinary summit in Harare, Sadc executive secretary Elias Magosi applauded Mozambique, Botswana and Mauritius for holding “peaceful” elections in a “busy election calendar for the region”.
The summit deliberated mainly on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) civil war where hundreds of civilians have been killed and over 20 000 displaced since the fighting started in 2021, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Mozambique is battling civil unrest involving clashes between the army and civilians following the announcement that Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo had won the October presidential elections with over 71% of the vote.
At least 30 people have died in the clashes.
At the Sadc extraordinary summit, only four heads of State and government from the 16-member bloc attended the meeting, while the rest sent representatives, the majority of whom are ministers.
Those who attended are outgoing Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, newly-elected Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko, Madagascar’s Andry Rajoelina and DRC President Felix Thsisekedi.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who sent his deputy Paul Mashathile, attended the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which ended on Tuesday.
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In Brazil, Ramaphosa was joined by Sadc Troika chairperson and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who sent Zanzibar leader Hussein Mwinyi.
Meanwhile, Magosi described the situation in the region as generally peaceful.
“While the Sadc region remains peaceful and stable generally, we do have, unfortunately, some security challenges in some parts, which require our continued collective response to address,” he said.
“Political stability, peace and security are vital ingredients and enablers for Sadc’s socio-economic development and integration.
“Any disturbance or compromise to any of these tenets of development threatens the lofty aspirations of the member States and the region itself.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is the Sadc chairperson, ignored the Mozambique violent clashes in his speech.
Mnangagwa has been at the centre of controversy after he quickly congratulated Chapo before results were announced.
Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who was the runner-up in the polls, has called for sustained nationwide protests.
To make matters worse, analysts and observers claim thousands of Zimbabweans voted in the Mozambique elections.
In his welcoming remarks, Mnangagwa asked the delegates to observe a minute of silence in honour of those who have lost lives in the DRC civil war.
“In August 2024 we gathered here in ordinary session to take stock of the progress of our august regional organisation over the past year,” he said.
“Ambitious yet achievable targets and strategies were adopted to harness the immense opportunities in our region as well as address our common challenges.
“Today we convene specifically to deliberate on pertinent issues relating to the peace and security of our region.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Mozambique Victor Matemadanda yesterday dismissed claims that Zimbabweans voted in the Mozambique elections.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the summit, Matemadanda said the general atmosphere in Mozambique was peaceful.
“The Mozambican people are clever and they know they have won an election.
“They are not worried and are not losing sleep. I did not see what you call a demonstration,” he said.
“I have seen only people who are organised to commit crimes by looting. Why are you demonstrating in a supermarket? That is what they are doing and after picking what they want, they disappear.”
There are reports that Zimbabweans in Mozambique are being targeted for voting in that country’s elections, which could have tilted the scales in favour of Frelimo.
Matemadanda said Zimbabwe had the highest literacy rate in Africa hence it could not infringe on the rights of Mozambicans.
“I have never come across a person who voted in Mozambique,” he said.
“I was moving around and I did not see anyone. Those videos you are seeing are fake.”
