SADC urged to take tough stance on Zimbabwe

By Violet Gonda & Tererai Karimakwenda
29 March 2007

While his ruthless state agents continued to abduct and torture opposition supporters and activists around the country, Robert Mugabe travelled to Tanzania Wednesday to attend an emergency Summit of Heads of State from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Prime on the agenda is the question of what to do with Mugabe and the worsening political and economic situation that now threatens regional development.

Observers say this was long overdue, and probably a result of the recent violent campaign against the opposition. After pictures of the bloodied president of the MDC Morgan Tsvangirai and officials from both MDC factions made headline news worldwide, African leaders who had been silent so far suddenly found a voice. And it was strong condemnation and embarrassment that most said they felt towards the scale of human rights abuses that they witnessed on their television screens. But Mugabe has remained unrepentant, telling the West to “go hang” and his thugs to “bash” those who defy him.
The question now becomes what can the SADC leaders gathered in Dar es Salaam actually do if Mugabe continues the violence and refuses to negotiate? Director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), Tawanda Mutasa said: “Mugabe and his allies have consistently pulled the wool over the eyes of their African neighbours using a combination of diversionary national theatrics as well as blatant untruths. Only recently, a thirteen page propaganda document was issued by Mugabe’s Foreign Minister, to all African embassies, claiming that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was at no time assaulted in police custody.” The document also claimed that what is happening in Zimbabwe is actually violence on the state and the police, perpetrated by the opposition.
Mutasa told SW Radio Africa: “It doesn’t take any genius to recognise that the kind of propaganda that is coming out of Harare about what is happening is basically lies, as it is the state that continues to brutalise and arrest opponents and threaten lawyers trying to access police stations to inquire about their clients.”

OSISA and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) said there are increased reports of random violence directed by military forces against civilians. Parts of Harare’s central business district were cordoned off, on Wednesday, as armed forces staged random searches of individuals, ostensibly searching for weapons. The groups also condemned invasive searches of opposition officials’ homes and persons, on the suspicion of arms stockpiling.
Meanwhile it’s reported that the MDC headquarters Harvest House was seriously damaged by the police on Wednesday. An emailed report from the MDC said property worth millions of dollars was damaged and computers either been disabled or removed from the premises. Commercial tenants of the building, who are not linked to the MDC, were also affected.
Ozias Tungwarara, director of OSISA’s affiliate Afrimap said: “It is not overly speculative to suppose that these recent arrests and searches are being carefully orchestrated with the intention of legitimizing the government’s recent actions. It won’t be surprising to learn that the detainees are to be charged with treason or some other offence related to violence against the state. All this happens at the exact moment that Mugabe is meeting with other SADC heads of state in Tanzania, and it allows him to say, ‘ we’re dealing with an opposition bent on violence and our tactics are justified.’
Mutasa said it is time that the SADC leaders told Mugabe that human rights abuses will not be tolerated in the region. He said if elections are going to be held next year, the regional leaders should insist for a credible roadmap for a democratic constitution; restoration of the rule of law; repeal of repressive legislations such as POSA and AIPPA and a framework for free and fair elections under international supervision.