Source: Mmusi Maimane Calls For Cutting Diplomatic Ties Between South Africa And Zimbabwe
South African opposition leader Mmusi Maimane has called for severing diplomatic ties between Pretoria and Harare due to the disputed August 23 and 24 elections. This came after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated Emmerson Mnangagwa, the declared winner.
Election observers have issued critical reports questioning the credibility of the polls, which has drawn an angry response from Harare and the ruling Zanu PF party. Maimane’s Build One South Africa (BOSA) party also criticized the elections, stating that they were neither free nor fair. In a statement, BOSA spokesperson, Sbu Zondi called for an extraordinary summit of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to address the situation in Zimbabwe. Zondi said:
BOSA calls on South Africa to declare the Zimbabwean elections a sham and to immediately cease diplomatic engagement with the government of Zimbabwe.
It is time for Sadc nations to take a strong position on irregular and unfair elections.
The elections in Zimbabwe have not been free, fair or transparent. South Africa and the Sadc region cannot proceed with business as usual while there is a democratic crisis in a key Sadc nation.
Our nation cannot ignore the democratic crisis on our doorstep because conflagration from the collapse of Zimbabwe creates secondary fires in our nation. On the election day there were members of a security organisation known as Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ) who participated in voter intimidation and harassment at various polling stations.
Nelson Chamisa, leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), also rejected the election results and highlighted instances of voter intimidation and harassment by a group called Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), which is affiliated with ZANU PF. The CCC has, however, accepted National Assembly results and is only contesting presidential election results.
Some observers believe Ramaphosa and the African National Congress (ANC) party endorsed Mnangagwa’s victory because they would expect him to reciprocate when South Africa holds general elections in 2024.
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