Vongai Masuka

The Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço has congratulated President Emmerson Mnangagwa for conducting peaceful elections which he described as examplery during a virtual SADC Extraordinary Summit held on Tuesday.

In his address to the summit participants, Lourenço, who is also the President of Angola jointly congratulated King Mswati III, and described the elections that were held in the two countries as peaceful and orderly. He said the elections were a major victory to democracy.

“Your excellencies, allow me to congratulate President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, and his Majesty King Mswati III, the King of Eswatini for the exemplary elections that were recently conducted in your countries.

“The tranquility and orderly manner in which they took place constituted a major victory for democracy and a significant contribution to peace, stability and harmony in the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Kingdom of Eswatini,” he said.

The development is likely to put a major blow to the Citizens Coalition For Change as they were banking on the outcomes of the summit to push for fresh elections in Zimbabwe. The opposition party recently indicated that it had approached SADC to discredit the elections as they accuse the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of rigging in favour of President Mnangagwa.

The congratulatory message from President Lourenço can be seen as an endorsement to the the electoral outcomes of the 23 August Elections.