We noted that the organisation had departed from the nobility of its yesteryear national liberation and anti-apartheid objectives and had instead become obsessed with non-critical back-patting and high-fiving among its political elites. Meanwhile the progression of economic, developmental and human aspirations lie unsatisfied, while several leaders continue to molest their citizens either through violence, the denial of democracy or the befoulment of the economy.
Our words are tragically being vindicated in Lesotho where, rather than deploy the peacekeepers Basotho are crying for, SADC has opted to “deploy” a strongly worded statement of condemnation! While as an editorial publication, we principally believe that the pen is mightier than the sword, SADC’s response again betrays the kind of droopiness that has emboldened and fostered democratic crises in Zimbabwe and Swaziland. What is needed right now in Lesotho is a combination of the pen and the sword or what legendary US president, Theodore Roosevelt, aptly described as “speaking softly and carrying a big stick”.
