In what has to be among the most disappointing news from southern Africa in a long time, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has chosen to acquiesce to Robert Mugabe's rule. A meeting that beforehand was hailed as preparing to take a stance against a regional despot instead ended up asking "The West" to ease sanctions and engage in dialogue with Mugabe. Almost dumbfoundingly, the meeting called "for the lifting of all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe".
Perhaps most disturbingly, SADC also appointed as mediator South African President Thabo Mbeki. Implicitly South Africa has continued to advocate a "silent diplomacy" that in the end would result in Zimbabwe's betterment. Instead what we get is a ratification of the same. Let these words ring through your head: "The extraordinary summit reaffirms its solidarity with the government and the people of Zimbabwe." That's right. Given a chance to push change, indeed under circumstances in which they all but promised to do so, SADC has declared its fealty to Robert Mugabe. They stared Mugabe eyeball to eyeball. And somehow they blinked.
Imagine the state of the resistance, however divided, in Zimbabwe today. A dictator was validated while Zimbabweans suffer. A dictator was validated, and in the process SADC has effectively given the go-ahead to the oppression of his opposition. A dictator was validated and so SADC failed. And in so doing, SADC abdicated every claim it might have to reponsibility in Zimbabwe. Catastrophe looms. I think it is safe to say that SADC had its moment to help determine the course of contemporary Southern African history. It failed. And it did so egregiously.
2 Comments So Far»
Yes, I am an outsider and have many friends living in Zimbabwe. I regularly hear from them and the fear of death is most common in their correspondence with me. I just can not understand why a country so great as South Africa is supporting the current despot and regime and turning it's eyes away from the suffering? Is South Africa doing the same thing now that it's own ANC freedom fighters were fighting against for decades? I am so saddened that South Africa is ignoring the screams of freedom fighters and starving children in Zimbabwe. How much blood needs to be spilled before the South African government starts to act as a real world leader and is willing to practice what it preaches? What is it afraid of? Maybe, I am naive and I just don't understand but someone must be getting their Swiss bank accounts filled or South Africans just don't care.
FLFIAS:
I think your tone of sadness covers the mood of many of us who are observing these events. I have no idea either what South Africa is doing with regard to the Zimbabwe situation.
Cheers –
dc
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