President Emmerson Mnangagwa has made a plea for peace and tranquillity as the 44th SADC summit looms.
“I, equally, encourage all Zimbabweans to continue working
hard to ensure a peaceful, safe and welcoming environment for our visiting
delegates,” Mnangagwa said at the burial of Brigadier General (Rtd) Michael
Chaminuka at the National Heroes Acre in Harare on Monday.
The summit, scheduled to start from 28 July to mid-August
2024, is set to be a defining moment for Mnangagwa’s leadership, a moment he
desperately needed to navigate without a stain of dissent marring his legacy.
Zimbabwe is poised to take the reins of the rotational SADC
chairmanship, a position that had unleashed a torrent of praise for Mnangagwa
from his party and allies, who trumpeted his supposed ‘deservedness’ for the
role.
His re-election in August 2023, was marred by allegations
of widespread irregularities and fraudulent activities that were condemned by
both local and international election observers.
Opposition groups and political activists, emboldened by
the perceived injustice of Mnangagwa’s victory, are poised to use the summit to
register their grievances.
This is regardless of successive calls and threats by the police that they are ready to crush protesters during the Summit.
Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe, leaving little room
for ambiguity, addressed the would-be protesters with a thinly veiled threat.
“If you misbehave during the Summit you will bear the
consequences. Our country has laws. His Excellency has spoken. Those with ears
to hear have heard,” Kazembe said, his words dripping with a chilling
implication that dissent would be met with force.
Mnangagwa, who had faced stinging criticism for the
extravagant measures taken to paint a picture of prosperity for visiting heads
of state – building expensive villas and undertaking rapid road rehabilitation
projects – made another appeal.
He implored all stakeholders to ensure that Zimbabwe would
be one of beauty and order, hoping to appease his SADC peers.
“Meanwhile, I, call upon all the stakeholders, including
the private sector, to partner my Administration and our Local Authorities to
enhance the environmental ambience, cleanliness and beauty of our cities in
preparation for the Summit, and indeed into the future,” Mnangagwa said. CITE
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