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Statement ahead of the SADC leaders Summit in Angola
Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR)
August 15, 2011

ROHR Zimbabwe wishes to warn SADC Leaders against holding another futile summit where ornamental resolutions are reached and agreed. We demand that the leaders tackle the contentious central issues which are fundamental for the holding of free and fair elections and successful transition to democracy.

It is our fervent hope the summit will again uphold, note, endorse and buttress the Livingstone resolutions and avoid towing selfish party lines. The summit must ignore and dismiss statements from political parties to the effect that reforming the security sector is tantamount to meddling. The people of Zimbabwe demand that the security sector be reformed to match this century standards and character. We therefore urge the leaders to grow their spines and tackle Zimbabwe's protracted political crisis without fear or favour and gain back their integrity.

We urge the SADC leaders to condemn our leaders on the escalating state funded and abated politically motivated violence and the unequaled choosy application of the law. The summit must remind Zimbabwean leaders that they owe their positions to the peace loving peoples of this country and to stop behaving like they owe us anything. The summit must also remind Zimbabwean authority that the right to freedom and justice is sacrosanct and universal, it is not a state gift which can be withdrawn or dished if one so wishes. We demand they uphold human rights.

We urge the leaders to come up with a position on the election road map, the timeframe for constitution making and the staffing of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission before elections can be held. In that regard we urge the meeting to remind our leaders to stop talking about elections before all the basic and key requirements of free polls are met.

Again we hope that the meeting will positively put to rest the matter regarding the deployment of monitors ahead of elections.

Once again we remind the SADC leaders that the people of Zimbabwe demand an end to this political drama.

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