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SADC behaviour disheartening - Regional body a toothless bulldog
Youth Forum
September 11, 2009

We are greatly disillusioned by Southern Africa Development Committee's open bias towards President Mugabe as testified by not putting Zimbabwe's sticking issues on the agenda despite the fact persistent and deliberate delays around the issues of Attorney General, Reserve Bank Governor, Governors and swearing in of Roy Bennet as Deputy Agriculture Minister are denting the hopes of Zimbabweans and the region.

It is saddening to note that the out-going SADC Chairperson Mr Jacob Zuma mentioned about the Zimbabwean issue in his press conference after the closure of the summit hence it has no blessings of SADC.This proves beyond any reasonable doubt that President Jacob Zuma is being outmanoeuvred by President Mugabe considering the fact that he managed to convince fellow statesmen not to put Zimbabwe on the agenda and blocking Botswana from being on the SADC organ on defence, politics and security.The issue of sanctions which MDC is being blamed for hogged the limelight resulting in the summit turning out to be a crusade to castigate MDC for causing untold suffering to Zimbabwe.

Equally worrying is the constitution of SADC Troika which comprises of President Joseph Kabila,a hubby to the first lady's young sister and Mugabe's close ally, President Hifikepunye Pohamba, a close ally of President Mugabe who owes his eligibility into the organ to President Mugabe and President Jacob Zuma who has to fight an uphill lone battle. The unholy alliance of the SADC Heads of States saw MDC being denied equal opportunity to present their case at the summit. It boggles the mind as to when such a chance will avail itself to MDC-T. The Prime-minister's prior utterances that all is well in the inclusive government also crucified him given that any statements contrary to that could exhibit double standards on the part of Zimbabwe's premier.

The fact that Bingu Wamutharika is the next African Union chairman adds fuel to the already burning fire for his bias towards President Mugabe is unquestionable. As Youth Forum the regional and African bodies just like The League of Nations are toothless bulldogs and therefore we do not expect them to bring any solution to the crisis which is currently bedeviling us as a nation.

With such a diplomatic victory in ZANU PF'S cabinet, it only takes men and women of spine to tackle thorny issues to do with the governance and democracy of the nation. Many vibrant activists and rational minded Zimbabweans had relaxed on the inception of the inclusive ZANU PF controlled government. In this regard Youth Forum urges all right thinking Zimbabwe to go back to their previous positions and abandon the comfortable seats which they had currently occupied for the struggle for democratisation is crystal clearly far from being over.

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