United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) leader Elizabeth Valerio has publicly criticized opposition MDC-T president Douglas Mwonzora for sanitizing “the facade of a matured democracy” by attending the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, where Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed the chairmanship of the regional bloc.
In a strongly-worded Twitter post, Valerio questioned Mwonzora’s presence at the summit, suggesting that his attendance served to “sanitize the facade of a matured democracy” in Zimbabwe, a notion she firmly rejects.
According to Valerio, the summit, which saw Mnangagwa taking on the chairmanship of SADC, is being overly celebrated despite its routine nature.
“Many are asking why I was not at the #SADC gathering,” Valerio wrote. “To be candid, my view is that opposition parties present at the summit were there to sanitize the facade of a matured democracy, yet we all know the reality. We must hold our national leaders to account. We expect them to deliver real progress for the people, not just celebrating ceremonial positions.”
Valerio highlighted that the chairmanship of SADC is a rotational position, and that Mnangagwa’s new role should not be viewed as an extraordinary achievement. Drawing a parallel to 2015, when the late President Robert Mugabe held the dual roles of African Union (AU) Chairman and SADC Chairman, Valerio noted that such positions are part of a routine cycle rather than a testament to exceptional leadership.
“It’s a fact that in 2015, the late President Robert #Mugabe assumed the roles of AU Chairman and SADC Chairman. Just as it was then, the current appointment to the SADC Chairmanship is simply a matter of rotation. It’s important to recognise that this is nothing more than routine! It’s not an extraordinary achievement, therefore, the excess celebration, and the national expenditures incurred are unnecessary,” she stated.
Valerio stressed that what truly matters is the impact of such roles on the people of Zimbabwe. She argued that the focus should be on delivering tangible improvements within the country, rather than celebrating titles. “If we are to expect anything positive from holding the SADC Chairmanship, it should first be reflected in tangible improvements within our borders. Sadly, reality is far from this. The majority of #Zimbabweans continue to suffer under economic hardship, and we have witnessed the continued violation of citizens’ rights,” Valerio added.
She also criticized the government’s failure to uphold SADC protocols and guidelines on governance, which she said remain “a distant promise for the ordinary Zimbabwean.” Valerio emphasized that these commitments should be implemented domestically before being projected onto the regional stage.
National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) leader Professor Lovemore Madhuku and self-styled Interim Secretary General of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Sengezo Tshabangu also attended the summit.