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Leaders with integrity still a far, far, away dream for Africa
Mary-Jane Ncube, Transparency International Zimbabwe
April 14, 2008

The SADC emergency summit has clearly shown that southern Africa, and Africa as a whole, judging from what happened in Kenya recently, is still far from realizing the maturity of leaders with integrity who put the region first by holding each other accountable for undemocratic practices, especially when such practices break their own protocols.

Most of these leaders have held the view that Zimbabweans must sort out their own destiny. Thabo Mbeki has been the most vocal proponent of this view. Zimbabweans have taken a stand and decided through the electoral process that they want the ruling party ZANU PF out of power. They have decisively made their choice MDC - T as the new leaders of choice by popular vote, but once again the SADC Community of leaders has let the Zimbabwean population down; once again demonstrating that they are just an old boys club bent on protecting their collective power like a band of thieves sticking together in the face of universal justice democratic values.

Above all, Thabo Mbeki continues to embarrass himself by being manipulated by Robert Mugabe. We believe that having had no means of verifying Mugabe-s statements for himself, Mr. Mbeki-s integrity would have faired better if he had simply said "Robert Mugabe has said there is no crisis", rather than making that statement his own. Mbeki has proved it is impossible for him to make independent and well informed opinions of his own regarding the Zimbabwe situation. Since he is held in such high regard throughout the world his partisan statements do Zimbabwe more harm than good. We Zimbabweans, would prefer it if he discontinued from issuing such statements. As Zimbabweans who take their past, present and future seriously we deem that there is no accountability or integrity within the SADC leadership as proven by their failure again and again to exert peer pressure on each other to be accountable in upholding universal accepted democratic principles, to which most of them are party, and those that they set as a body.

It is ridiculous in light of all the allegations and accusations flying throughout the country concerning the failure to release results expeditiously post elections for Mr. Mbeki to say there is no crisis in Zimbabwe. Who or what has informed that view? It is equally ridiculous for the SADC community of leaders to buttress that partisan view with the feeble statement that supposedly compels ZEC to be speedy about releasing the results.

As far as Zimbabweans are concerned the cabinet of Zimbabwe was dissolved on 27 March 2008, the reconstitution of cabinet before the electoral crisis is over and the new leadership appointed is at least illegal and at most an abrogation of democratic principles that undermines the electoral process. In effect the conduct implies that democracy is dead in Zimbabwe. As far as ZANU PF is concerned and as many as their supporters have put it "ku wina nekutonga kwaka siyana", meaning "winning and being in power are not the same thing". Accordingly this goes to show that as far as ZANU PF is concerned MDC T may have won but ZANU PF has no intention of relinquishing power.

But of the greatest concern to the SADC community leaders should be the precedent they are setting for the region. The message coming out of Zimbabwe now is that it is acceptable to hold elections that a mature and competent electorate takes very seriously then after an unfavorable result for the ruling party pretend they did not take place. Alternatively to then take your time, while you hold the whole nation at ransom to reverse those unfavorable results to suit yourselves. You are after all doing it with the blessing of a morally corrupt SADC community of leaders who laugh at the face of values like integrity, accountability and transparency. After all in their self- centered Pan Africanism they see these as Euro -centric, Western values that have nothing to do with ubuntu . . . right boys!!

* Mary-Jane Ncube is the Acting Executive Director of Transparency International-Zimbabwe

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