SA calls for sanity to prevail in Zimbabwe
President ED Mnangagwa irks SADC colleagues by jailing opposition members
..as ED runs amok, jailing 120 activists
South African Government Advocates Dialogue to Address Zimbabwe’s Human Rights Issues
CAPE TOWN — The South African government has emphasized that dialogue is the most effective way to address the ongoing human rights concerns in Zimbabwe, as tensions rise ahead of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, is set to attend the SADC Summit in Harare this week. The summit comes amid reports of a crackdown on dissenters in Zimbabwe, where protests are anticipated during the gathering of regional heads of state.
On Monday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations clarified that it could not demand the summit be relocated to another country. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is scheduled to assume the SADC presidency at the 44th Ordinary SADC Summit, making Harare the standard and official host for the event.
The department’s Deputy Director-General, Clayson Monyela, reiterated South Africa’s stance on addressing political challenges: “We’ve always maintained the principle that political challenges are best resolved through peaceful means, and that means dialogue. So, that will be our position even now.”
Amnesty International has raised concerns over an ongoing crackdown in Zimbabwe, reporting that more than 160 people have been arrested in what is seen as an attempt to silence opposition ahead of the summit. The organization has urged SADC leaders to address these human rights violations.
Monyela noted that South Africa is willing to play a facilitating role in resolving these issues through dialogue, as it has done in the past: “The way to resolve that would be to sit around the table with the government of the day, and South Africa will have no problem playing a facilitating role as we’ve done previously.”
This week’s SADC Summit will focus on promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for economic growth and development in the region.
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