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AU and SADC should be open with Mugabe
Zimbabwe Youth Forum
July 03 , 2008

The events unfolding in Zimbabwe are a true reflection of the kind of leadership that Africa is endowed with. The recently held AU summit in Egypt exposed a lot of hypocrisy and slowness on the part of African leaders as shown by their failure to censure Mugabe at the summit. That they chose to ignore the contents of their own report of the June 27 presidential election as presented by their envoy shows the levels of hypocrisy that African leaders are showing in their treatment to the Zimbabwean case.

The June 27 election lacked credibility as evidenced by the various reports that came from various independent observers. The violent retribution campaign which Zanu PF embarked on in the run up to that election clearly meant that the election could not be free and fair. The MDC presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai was constantly denied the space to campaign on the ground, being arrested over four times during his campaign. Zanu PF used the state controlled public media for their campaign only, denying the MDC space in the public media. This is clear evidence that the election was not held in accordance with both AU and SADC guidelines and principles. The results of such an election are not a true reflection of the wishes of the people and are therefore illegitimate.

The Youth Forum urges African leaders not to ignore the reports produced by both the AU and SADC envoys as these highlight the environment in which the said election was held. Despite that Robert Mugabe went on to stage-manage a one-man election after the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai does not legitimize the election and AU leaders should have made that known to Robert Mugabe in Egypt. Advocating for a Government of National Unity (GNU) will not solve the political crisis in Zimbabwe as it will be a clear negation of the will of the people of Zimbabwe as expressed on March 29. It would be dangerous to ignore the elections of March 29 as they represent more than the farce of June 27. It is imperative upon AU and SADC leaders if they genuinely seek to see an end to the Zimbabwean crisis that they be open with Robert Mugabe and tell him that he is illegitimate.

The Youth Forum further urges all the youths of Zimbabwe not to recognize the leadership of Robert Mugabe as it was conferred upon him through foul means. The murders, kidnappings, maiming and destruction of homes and property is a systematic state-sponsored.

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