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Sadc initiative serves Mugabe
Otto Saki
August 24, 2007

ON March 11, the government of Zimbabwe in one of its usual acts of brutality carried out spates of arrests and torture against political and civil society leaders who were gathering under the banner of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign.

This was the final straw before the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) called for an extraordinary summit on March 29. The news of the summit was received with mixed reactions of confusion, hope and anxiety with a keenness to see an end Zimbabwe's continued political, social and economic decline.

The Sadc heads of states mandated South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Over the last five months, many interested parties have watched with frustration at what appears to be a missed opportunity.

In these five months, Zimbabwe has slid further into crisis, crippled by runaway inflation of over 5 000% and the crumbling economy, made only worse by President Mugabe's latest political attempts to avert disaster.

In this context, it is worth returning to the original mandate put forth by Sadc on March 29 through the enabling communiqué. The Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security made a resolution, shortly after having been briefed by Mugabe on the developments in Zimbabwe, and made the following resolutions.

The summit:

• recalled that free, fair and democratic presidential elections were held in 2002 in Zimbabwe;
• reaffirmed its solidarity with the government and people of Zimbabwe;
• mandated Mbeki to continue to facilitate dialogue between the opposition and the government and report back to the Troika on the progress. The extraordinary summit also encouraged enhanced diplomatic contacts which will assist with the resolution of the situation in Zimbabwe;
• mandated the Sadc executive secretary to undertake a study on the economic situation in Zimbabwe and propose measures on how Sadc can assist Zimbabwe recover economically;
• reiterated the appeal to Britain to honour its compensation obligations with regard to land reform made at the Lancaster House; and
• appealed for the lifting of all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe.

It is interesting to note that results of elections in 2002 remain a sore point for the Sadc region and ruling party. The election was held in an environment which makes it impossible to accept the results as having been free and fair.

It is shocking as it is annoying to know that in 2007, 13 wise men from Sadc held a meeting to inform anyone and everyone who cared to know that one of theirs was lawfully elected in 2002, five years earlier!

Solidarity for peoples oppressed has been a phenomenon that predates post-independence Africa. Sadc states expressed their solidarity with the government of Zimbabwe and its peoples.

It however remains ambiguous as to the beneficiaries of this solidarity. Is Sadc supporting the general masses of Zimbabwe or a few of their comrades with whom they have shared a history? It is very difficult to support the victor and vanquished unless one is engaged in acts of self-deceit.

South Africa has been involved in "behind-the-scenes efforts" to contribute to Zimbabwe's recovery, with little success.

While engaged in the mediation efforts as a "good neighbour" Mbeki in an address in the ANC Today remarked: "It is clear that some within Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the world, including our country, are following the example set by Reagan and his advisers, to treat human rights as a tool for overthrowing the government of Zimbabwe and rebuilding Zimbabwe as they wish. In modern parlance, this is called regime change."

The statement seems to betray the partisan thinking in the Sadc-anointed mediator. Signs of such views have admittedly culminated in the South African-led mediation informing Zimbabweans that there is no time in Zimbabwe to discuss the constitution before the next election.

It is not more important to have a new constitution which protects fundamental rights and freedoms than it is to have another election for which Sadc will plead a retrospective acceptance as having been free and fair!

Zimbabwe's economy is unfortunately experiencing the most severe difficulties since attainment of black majority rule. The economic recovery of Zimbabwe is heavily embedded in the current constitutional, legal and social crisis.

A rescue package from Sadc will make meaningful changes if Zimbabwe leaders are accountable, if institutionalised thievery and plunder is exorcised and if adherence to rudimentary principles of economics is acceptable. Self-defeatist policies and populist agendas which are short-lived should be discarded. In the absence of such, a few individuals will use the so-called economic rescue package to further leverage themselves from their own doings.

The redistribution of the land remains critical in addressing colonial imbalances. However, the Zimbabwean land reform programme is the best example of how not to carry out a land reform. It is an unmatched lesson on how to run an agro-based economy aground.

The British have been blamed for all the woes that have befallen Zimbabwe. It remains my humble view that Zanu PF and the government should wholly accept messing up, as Zimbabweans are tired of being told that Tony Blair is responsible for a low life expectancy, non-productivity on the farms and the looting of diamonds in Marange.

The West has been blamed for the arrest of journalists and closure of independent media; the criminal Operation Murambatsvina in which 700 000 people were left homeless, and the arrest, torture and persecution of legitimate political activists.

That prices have been reduced and now food and basic commodities are in short supply, that 3,5 million Zimbabweans have fled from Blair into South Africa, Botswana and interestingly the United Kingdom, and record numbers being deported from South Africa (the mediator) on a daily basis. Let's be honest, this can't fly anymore!

To cap the extraordinary summit, Sadc leaders were extremely concerned by the continued imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe. The bold line between individuals, ruling party, government and Zimbabwe has been deliberately obliterated. The state, the party and the country are one and our neighbours seem to have accepted such notions.

Zimbabwe still remains one of the countries that have a trade surplus with North America and the European Union. In any event, Zimbabwe has adopted a "Look East" policy, when the East is looking to the West. So Sadc should not make this an issue; our leaders are not interested in London or Washington DC because there is Kuala Lumpur or Beijing.

After reading and giving an interpretation to the Sadc communiqué which is reflective of the dearth in mediation efforts, one will be forgiven to conclude that the Sadc efforts were never about Zimbabwe, but about serving an individual, a political party and a kleptocratic leadership which has become the greatest threat to the existence of Zimbabweans.

Consequently, Sadc heads of state concluded during the recently held summit that the problems in Zimbabwe were exaggerated, reflective of different and limited understanding of the problem in Zimbabwe.

Students of medicine will aver that the best way to treat an ailment is to make a proper diagnosis, failure of which might cause complications for both the patient and doctor.

* Otto Saki is a lawyer with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

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