Ashley Masakadza

The Citizen’s Coalition for Change yesterday said SADC should uphold the SEOM report on the 23 August elections as the regional bloc is set to conclude its extraordinary summit in Angola on 4 November.

The meeting, which started yesterday had set the agenda to hold discussions on consolidating peace, security and governance in the region, mainly looking at DRC and Zimbabwe.

Yesterday, the Chairperson of SADC who is also the President of Angola, João Lourenço congratulated President Emmerson Mnangagwa for conducting “examplery” elections which saw him securing his second Presidential term.

However,  CCC Deputy Spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba said SADC should uphold the outcomes of the SEOM report, which said some aspects  of the elections fell short of regional and international guidelines.

He said the opposition party has filed a petition to the bloc to call for the facilitation of a peaceful resolution of electoral disputes in the region.

“On behalf of our citizens, we filed a petition with SADC under its SEAC Dispute Resolution mechanisms, which facilitate peaceful resolution of electoral disputes in the region, aiming to deepen democratic standards and preserve peace and stability.

“It is time for decisive regional action. We call upon SADC to uphold their Observer Mission Report and facilitate a process whereby Zimbabwe can regain legitimacy, firmly rooted in the free will of the people. This will ensure stability in the region and discourage anti-democratic regimes from obstructing the collective will of their citizens. Only then can the regional destabilization stemming from Zimbabwe’s deepening political crisis be resolved,” said Siziba.

He urged the Sadc board to urgently tackle the risk posed by the electoral dispute in the country which came after the opposition party failed to accept the defeat of their Presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa to President Mnangagwa.

The extraordinary summit failed to conclude on matter on its agenda due to poor Internet connectivity which affected the consistency of the meeting according to reports from internal sources. This prompted the dignitaries to meet in person in Luanda, Angola this week.