DIRCO fails to condemn rise in human rights abuses by Zimbabwean government ahead of 44th SADC Summit
12 August 2024
Build One South Africa (BOSA) notes today’s failure by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation – and Minister Ronald Lamola - to condemn the human rights abuses in government by the ANC’s long-time ally, ZANU-PF.
At a press briefing today, the department raised pressing international matters in Gaza, Bangladesh and Venezuela – yet failed to condemn the recent violence and unjust state clampdown on dissenting voices by the Zimbabwean government. This is ahead of the upcoming 44th SADC Summit set to be held in Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare this coming Saturday 17 August.
DIRCO stated they are "monitoring the situation" and called for a “dialogue” to resolve the “political challenges”. This is a cop-out.
BOSA condemns in the strongest terms the recent spate of alleged human rights abuses – illegal detentions, tortures and suppression of rights and freedoms by the repressive ZANU-PF government.
It must be said that this is the result of the silent acquiescence of last year’s irregular and disputed Zimbabwean elections by SADC. Amid a litany of allegations of vote rigging and police and military suppression among others, SADC chose the path of least resistance and is now reaping the fruits of its own inaction.
We therefore call on SADC to publicly and unequivocally condemn the actions taken by the Zimbabwean government and in turn champion the democratic rights of all citizens, civil society organisations and opposition players. If it fails to do so, and the human rights abuses continue, there will be no choice but to move the 44th SADC Summit to another country.
Issued by Stevens Mokgalapa, BOSA Board Chairperson, 12 August 2024
