MDC-T asks SADC chair to put Zim crisis back on agenda

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has reportedly moved to lobby the new Southern African Development Community (SADC) chair to intervene in Zimbabwe’s political and economic turmoil.

Botswana President Ian Khama took over the reigns from Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe on Monday.

Media reports said representatives from the MDC were in Botswana trying to put pressure on the regional bloc to intervene in the Zimbabwean crisis.

“It is true there is a team in Botswana… to lobby Khama. We want Zimbabwe back in the international spotlight and SADC is the curator on the crisis,” a source is quoted saying.

This comes as SADC member states are in Gaborone to attend the 35th summit of heads of state and government.

Economic hardships

The regional bloc endorsed Zimbabwe’s disputed 2013 elections, which saw Mugabe winning by a wide margin against his rival, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Two years after the elections, the southern African country continues to reel under economic hardships, with thousands losing their jobs.

Mugabe’s party promised at least 2.2 million jobs during its election campaign.

Tsvangirai accused Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party of plunging the country into economic turmoil.

With Mugabe at the head of SADC, Zimbabwe had ceased to be on the bloc’s agenda. But according to Tsvangirai, the bloc must start looking into the country’s issues again.

“Now, the critical thing is that Mugabe has left the [SADC] chairmanship, [and] the crisis of Zimbabwe is not going away. It now behoves SADC to bring back Zimbabwe on the agenda of SADC. It’s in their responsibility because what happens in Zimbabwe affects the whole region,” the Daily News quoted Tsvangirai as saying.

Khama appeared to have rekindled hopes that Zimbabwe will not be able to escape censor when it transgressed its citizens’ rights, the report said. News24.com