Luanda SADC Summit Update – Organ Troika Has Met on Zim
1. SADC Organ Troika held its summit last night at the Talatona
Convention
Centre in Luanda (Tuesday) from 6.30pm (Angola time – one hour behind South Africa time) ending around 9.30pm with president Zuma (SA) – in his capacity as Zim Facilitator and incoming Organ Troika chairperson, Zambia vice-president represented Rupiah Banda – Troika chairperson who did not come on account of election campaigns in Zambia, Amanda Guebuza
(Mozambique) outgoing member of Troika ( from today Mozambique will no longer be member of the Troika), Zim Facilitators ( Amb Zulu, Mac Maharaj and Charles Ngcakula), SADC Executive Secretary – Dr. Salomao. Zimbabwe Principals did not attend – they were informed of the Troika Summit outcomes.
2. Soon after the Organ Troika Summit – Dr. Salomao held a press
conference to brief the media of the Troika Summit Outcomes. He noted the
following:
a) As far as the Troika is concerned, president Zuma remains Zimbabwe
Facilitator despite assuming the additional responsibility of being SADC Organ Troika chairperson. Despite ZANU-PF’s public outcry in the media about president Zuma’s 2 hats, Salomao indicated that ZANU-PF had not formally raised a complaint regarding president Zuma’s Facilitation. He however said that any party is free to raise objections in the full SADC summit today.
b) The SADC Organ Troika noted ‘progress’ on the Zimbabwe political
conflict saying the parties are getting closer to agreeing to an election date as well as a date for the constitutional referendum and that the outgoing Organ Troika chair will present a report on Zimbabwe to the full SADC Summit taking place today. [We understand ZANU-PF was resisting the move to have Zimbabwe discussed in full summit]
c) Organ Troika also noted that there are continuing disagreements on
issues related to the elections roadmap and the implementation of the GPA which the Facilitator has been tasked to continue working on together with the political parties in Zim.
3. Our Fear & Concern
We fear that SADC could support a premature discussion of election dates in the absence of critical reforms that guarantee prevention of violence, independent electoral management institutions and the holding of free and fair elections with the result that Zimbabwe will go into another sham election whose outcome SADC may endorse. We understand that ZANU-PF is resisting the appointment of SADC Organ Troika representatives to work with the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) on grounds of sovereignty and also resisting SADC observers on the same grounds. We reiterate our previous demands that SADC itself, in the context of facilitation, must certify that Zimbabwe is ready for elections and must supervise those elections to prevent violence and to ensure full compliance with SADC principles on the conduct on the conduct of democratic elections. We strongly urge SADC to consider more significant pressure on Zimbabwe to ensure compliance with its resolutions.
The death of ex-military commander General Solomon Mujuru (husband to ZANU-PF and country vice president Joyce Mujuru) had raised doubts that president Mugabe would not travel to Angola, but he arrived here early evening yesterday accompanied by justice minister Chinamasa, defence minister Mnangagwa among a coterie of other senior ZANU-PF officials. We understand prime minister Tsvangirai was formally invited to the Summit through the SADC Executive Secretary contrary to indications in the state media by presidential spokesperson George Charamba that MDC leaders Tsvangirai and Ncube were not invited to the SADC Summit.
Following the SADC Organ Troika Summit, we understand prime minister Tsvangirai went for a dinner meeting with Angolan president Dos Santos to brief him on concerns regarding the elections roadmap and the resolution of the Zimbabwe political conflict. We are expecting president Dos Santos to raise some of the issues on Zimbabwe in his official speech to open the Summit later today.
Best regards,
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Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition - Regional Office (S.A) 711, 7th Floor, Khotso House
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Marshalltown
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