By A Correspondent| South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) party has urged the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, to exercise South Africa’s rights as a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and demand that the upcoming 44th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for August 17, 2024, in Harare, Zimbabwe, be relocated to another venue.
The call comes amidst growing concerns over state-sponsored repression in Zimbabwe.
According to the DA, recent reports have highlighted a severe clampdown on pro-democracy activists by the ruling ZANU-PF regime.
The DA claims that this crackdown stems from the regime’s fear of public protests ahead of the summit.
The SADC’s founding treaty emphasizes the commitment of member states to uphold “human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”
The DA argues that the ZANU-PF government has consistently violated these principles with impunity, especially in the run-up to the summit.
Notable among these incidents is the detention of Jameson Timba, an opposition politician, along with 77 other opposition activists. The group has reportedly been held in dire conditions and repeatedly denied bail after being arrested for allegedly holding an ‘unauthorised political meeting.’
Additionally, four democracy activists were recently removed from a plane at Robert Mugabe International Airport and charged with disorderly conduct for participating in a protest demanding the release of the detained activists, who have been in pre-trial detention for over six weeks.
The DA contends that the Zimbabwean government’s use of state machinery to suppress dissent illustrates its willingness to flout the law to maintain its authoritarian rule.
The party argues that South Africa and the broader SADC community have a responsibility to hold the Zimbabwean government accountable for its actions. The DA asserts that allowing the summit to proceed as planned would not only endorse ZANU-PF’s disregard for international law but also undermine the core principles upon which SADC was founded.
The DA further expressed concern over President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s upcoming chairmanship of the SADC, viewing it as a sign of the regional leaders’ failure to hold the Zimbabwean leadership accountable.
The party believes that South Africa, as a prominent SADC member, must take decisive action to uphold international law and advocate for the summit to be relocated to a location that respects democratic values.
This move, according to the DA, would send a clear message that South Africa and SADC will not tolerate the suppression of democratic freedoms in the region.