Ramaphosa’s ‘Quiet Diplomacy 2.0’ on Zimbabwe is making an unfolding crisis worse

18 June 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as the African Union (AU) Chairman, to demand that the Zimbabwean government stops the harassment of members of the opposition and the immediate release of three female opposition leaders who have been arrested on trumped up charges.

Of late, Zimbabwe’s opposition political leaders have been at the receiving end of a coordinated terror campaign by state security agencies who have used torture and abduction as a tool for intimidation. Three opposition female leaders, Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and NetsaiMarova were reportedly abducted, sexually abused and dumped in a remote area. They are currently under arrest accused of faking their own abduction.

Even as the United Nations and the international community has condemned this gross abuse of human rights, the African Union under President Ramaphosa has remained quiet. Ramaphosa should desist from pursuing former President Thabo Mbeki’s failed ‘quiet diplomacy’ policy on Zimbabwe and demand a return to the rule of law.

The political crisis has been made worse by a deteriorating economic climate that has left millions of Zimbabweans at the risk of starvation. Unless decisive action is taken to hold Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government accountable for its repression and poor management of the economy, the unfolding humanitarian crisis will have devastating consequences on the region and in South Africa.

As along as Ramaphosa continues to watch from afar as Zimbabwe degenerates into a Zanu-PF government sponsored crisis, his legacy as the AU Chair now stands the real risk of being written off before it has even begun. Failure to take decisive action will make him complicit in the actions of a regime that has shown a willingness to abuse its power and harass defenceless citizens.

Issued by Darren Bergman,DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, 18 June 2020