Statement: CIZC Calls For A Full Consultation Of Stakeholders To Deal With Zimbabwe’s Crisis
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CIZC) calls for a full consultation of stakeholders to deal with the Zimbabwean crisis on which they have issued a statement the Communique from the 40th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government saying the failure of the regional body’s leadership to discuss the Zimbabwean crisis was concerning.
The organisation further proposed ways to resolve the crisis.
Read the statement below:
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CIZC) notes with disappointment the Communique from the 40th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government’s failure to discuss the political crisis unfolding in Zimbabwe and other hotspots in the region.
Whilst the world and other progressive countries like South Africa and the African Union have acknowledged that there is a political crisis in Zimbabwe and thus expressed concern over the abuse of human rights, we are therefore worried about SADC turning a blind eye as the situation continues to deteriorate in Zimbabwe posing a risk to regional security and integration.
We also wish to express our disappointment by the Summit’s failure to come up with concrete interventions to deal with the insurgency in Mozambique, Madagascar and Eswatini.
We, however, still hold the view that SADC and other regional partners have a role to play in the Zimbabwe crisis and thus, the Coalition will, in the next few days be engaging the Botswana President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi the incoming Chairperson of the SADC Troika to convene a special Troika on Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar and Eswatini. Above all, we recommend that the South African special envoy be expanded to include SADC and meet all relevant stakeholders including civil society.
We will continue urging SADC to support the efforts of President Ramaphosa and his envoy in their quest to finding lasting solutions to the crisis in Zimbabwe.
We, therefore, reiterate that the national dialogue process must involve all stakeholders and a national visioning process that has civil society, government, political parties, business, religious groups and labour unions among other critical stakeholders.
The dialogue process should produce a timed roadmap to the demilitarisation of civilian political processes and the restoration of normalcy by focusing on key political, economic and social reforms.
In this regard, we call for FULL CONSULTATION of all stakeholders rather than cosmetic processes.
