BOCISCOZ supports Govt's position on Zimbabwe

| Wednesday July 9, 2008 00:00

This was expressed at the recently held African Union Summit during 30 June -1 July 2008 in Sharm EI-Sheikh, Egypt.

The Vice President of Botswana, Mompati Merafhe stated that the representatives of the current government of Zimbabwe should be excluded from attending SADC and African Union (AU) meetings. The reason for this exclusion is that attendance 'would give unqualified legitimacy to a process which cannot be considered legitimate.'

Following the run-off elections of 29 June 2008, the Pan-African Parliament Election Observer Mission recognised that the 'current atmosphere prevailing in the country did not give rise to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections'. The African Union Observer Mission was of the view that 'the election process fell short of accepted AU standards'. The SADC Observer Mission stated that the elections did not represent the will of the people of Zimbabwe.

BOCISCOZ remains convinced that the run-off elections were held in an environment in which there had been widespread violence; violation of fundamental civil and political rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of movement; unequal reasonable access to the media by parties involved in the election process; politicization of security forces; loss of confidence in the voting process; the apparent lack of Independence of The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission; intimidation, arrests, torture and extra-judicial killings and disappearances.

It was therefore not possible for free and fair elections to be held. We wish to express our disappointment at the continued silence from several of our SADC Member States, whose civil societies have spoken out about the crisis in Zimbabwe. In countries committed to ensuring that the will of the people is expressed and respected, it is incumbent upon our SADC Member States to seriously engage with their citizens in the pursuit of the development of accountable democracies in the region.

BOCISCOZ calls on SADC Member States, acting in accordance with the African Union Constitutive Act and the African Union's 2005 adoption of the principle of the 'Responsibiity to Protect' to:

* Create an expanded mediation process which would include the AU and the UN aimed at the urgent establishment of a Transitional Authority (TA) with a mandate to create conditions for the holding of free, fair and credible elections in accordance with SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections and
* A regional response to the humanitarian crisis which is unfolding in Zimbabwe due to the forced suspension of food aid. The severe effects of this crisis will be experienced by countries sharing borders with Zimbabwe, namely Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique, through the increased influx of migrants seeking a better life, peace and security.