President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s pursuit for legitimacy after an election that was condemned by regional observer missions has become at a huge cost for brand Zimbabwe.
Mnangagwa yesterday became the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) chairperson at a summit that was preceded by mass arrests of government critics and human rights defenders.
The government claims that the people it has thrown into jails across the country were plotting illegal protests to disrupt the summit. Some were arrested for crimes that they allegedly committed as far back as 2019.
Some like Vusumizi Moyo were arrested for being hired to provide services for an international conference that was being held in Victoria Falls.
Moyo was pulled out of a plane that was about to take off from the Victoria Falls International Airport alongside activist Robson Chere, Namatai Kwekweza and Samuel Gwenzi.
They were charged for allegedly taking part in a demonstration that happened sometime in June at the Harare magistrates court where CCC leader Jameson Timba and 77 others were appearing in court for celebrating the Day of the African Child.
Over 100 people are in prison and have been denied bail by the courts. The arrests and alleged torture of the activists has not gone unnoticed across the world.
Last week, United Nations experts weighed in saying: “The enforced disappearance, incommunicando detention and torture, followed by the arbitrary detention of these human rights defenders is inexcusable, and not only violates international human rights law but also makes a mockery of the safeguards contained in Zimbabwe’s own constitution.”
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The experts added: “These baseless charges are being used as fig-leaf to target human rights defenders and opposition voices for calling for greater democracy, human rights and accountability in Zimbabwe.
“At a time when Zimbabwe is preparing to host the Sadc summit whose values include institutions that are ‘democratic, legitimate and effective,’ it is unconscionable that these human rights defenders working to strengthen such institutions remain arbitrarily detained.”
Mnangagwa’s actions in the run-up to the summit have removed any doubt that Zimbabwe has not changed from the days of Robert Mugabe. It is still that country where the authorities don’t respect people’s freedoms and it does not pass the democracy test.
The damage to Zimbabwe’s image is irreparable and this is all because of an individual who is seeking to legitimise an election that was condemned by the region and the international community. Zimbabwe deserves better from its leaders.
