President Emmerson Mnangagwa will hand over the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) at the regional body’s summit that begins today in Madagascar after an eventful tenure that began with a clampdown against dissent locally last year.
Zimbabwe hosted the last Sadc summit in Harare in August last year at a time when political temperatures were still high following the controversial 2023 elections.
Mnangagwa had beaten long-time rival Nelson Chamisa in presidential elections amid allegations of massive vote rigging and an adverse report by the regional body’s observer team led by former Zambian vice president Nevers Mumba.
Chamisa, who had lost the 2018 presidential elections in similar circumstance, refused to recognise the 82 year-old ruler’s victory.
Fearing an uprising during the Sadc summit, security agents embarked on a vicious campaign against civil society and political leaders they suspected could be at the forefront of the protests.
Several opposition figures were thrown behind bars while others were severely tortured.
There were no protests during and after the summit.
Mnangagwa’s government also came under scrutiny for its spending on infrastructure projects such as roads in preparation for the summit as contracts were awarded without tenders.
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The construction of 18 villas that were meant to accommodate visiting heads of state in Mt Hampden is yet to be completed, a year after the summit was held.
On Friday, the formalities of the handover from Zimbabwe to Madagascar began in Antananarivo with Foreign Affairs minister Amon Murwira handing over the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers to his counterpart Rafaravavitafika Rasata.
At the ceremony, Murwira spoke about the need to accelerate regional integration through the implementation of Sadc legal instruments.
“A key impediment to advancing our regional integration agenda is our slow uptake of Sadcprotocols and agreements,” he said.
“This delay is not just a procedural concern; it strikes at the very heart of our shared vision for a united, prosperous, and resilient region.
“Without timely ratification, our ability to establish a robust, rules-based framework is significantly hampered.”
Mnangagwa’s government trumpeted Zimbabwe’s Sadc chairmanship as proof that the country’s years of international isolation that began during the Robert Mugabe era were over.
