Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has had a tough time clearing his name from allegations of election fraud. These allegations came after the 2023 Zimbabwean elections, where many people said the elections were not fair. Even though Mnangagwa became the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), this has not helped him remove these claims. His efforts to use this position to change Sadc’s view on the elections have not worked.
Mnangagwa became the Sadc chairperson because of the rotational system that Sadc follows for leadership. Many people thought this new role would give him a chance to push for the Sadc election observer mission’s report to be dismissed. This report was very critical of the 2023 Zimbabwean elections. It said that the elections were not done properly and that there were problems with how the voting process was carried out. This report was backed by other Sadc members during meetings in Angola and Zambia.
The Sadc report is still the official view on the 2023 Zimbabwean elections. The report says that the elections were full of problems, and it does not agree that Mnangagwa’s win was fair. Sadc’s election observer mission also said that the elections did not follow the rules set by Zimbabwe’s own constitution or Sadc’s principles for democratic elections.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema was the chairperson of the Sadc Troika on Politics, Defence, and Security at the time of the Zimbabwean elections. Hichilema has said that the elections in the region during his time were mostly peaceful. However, he did not take away the Sadc report that criticized Zimbabwe’s elections. He had appointed Nevers Mumba, who was the former Zambian vice president, to lead the Sadc observer mission in Zimbabwe during the elections.
Because of all this, the Sadc report still stands. It remains in the official records, and Sadc has not changed its stance. The report continues to say that Mnangagwa came to power through a flawed process. This means that even though Mnangagwa is now the chair of Sadc, the region still sees him as a leader who was elected through fraudulent means. The report is a constant reminder of the irregularities and illegalities that took place during the 2023 elections in Zimbabwe.
Even after becoming the chairperson of Sadc, Mnangagwa’s efforts to improve his image have not worked. His legitimacy is still under question. Both Sadc and the international community have not fully accepted him as a legitimate leader because of the doubts around the elections. The Sadc report has kept his legitimacy in question, as it officially stands as a record of the fraudulent nature of the elections.
The situation has also revealed that some regional leaders are not willing to openly stand against undemocratic actions by other leaders in their group. President Hichilema’s refusal to change the report has caused tension between Zimbabwe and Zambia. This tension has now grown into a diplomatic row between the two countries. Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, has asked Sadc and the African Union to help in resolving the issue.
In conclusion, Mnangagwa’s rise to the leadership of Sadc has not helped him clear his name from the election fraud claims. The Sadc election observer mission’s report is still in place and says the 2023 Zimbabwean elections were flawed and full of problems. Mnangagwa has tried to remove the allegations of fraud, but these efforts have failed. His legitimacy continues to be in doubt, both in the region and on the international stage. As long as the Sadc report remains unchanged, Mnangagwa’s leadership will be overshadowed by these claims of election fraud.