Shocking silence from Ramaphosa over Zimbabwe’s stolen election
28 August 2023
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s continued silence over Zimbabwe’s sham elections, which saw Emmerson Mnangagwa controversially "re-elected" for a second term, is a tacit endorsement of the ZANU-PF government’s electoral farce.
A preliminary report by the SADC Election Observer Mission (SADC-EOM) noted that the elections “fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021).” Similarly, other observer missions – from the African Union, Commonwealth and the European Union, have raised concern that the conduct of the election process could impact on the credibility, transparency and inclusivity of the process.
With this broad condemnation of the flawed election - including a condemnation by the United Nations Secretary General - the ANC government’s silence is further hastening South Africa’s decline as a leader on the African continent and a defender of human rights and the rule of law.
It is completely reckless for Ramaphosa and his government to outsource South Africa’s foreign policy to Luthuli House. Since the announcement of Mnangagwa’s “victory”, ANC SG Fikile Mbalula has been heaping praise on the flawed election and expressing solidarity with a ZANU-PF government that is yet again facing a crisis of legitimacy.