While the whole world and the continent is engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic, there’s something brewing in our Southern African Development Community.
There’s intensity war taking place in our neighbours Zimbabwe where the government has launched brutal attack against its citizens.
In Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, there’s also a full-scale war taking place in the oil and gas region waged by the Islamic State rebels.
The war has now taken place for more than three years without any SADC member state raising a hand. These two incidents need the full attention of both the SADC region and African Union to confront it and deal with these threats decisively. President Cyril
Ramaphosa, the AU chair, should ensure that these issues take centre stage in the agenda of these organisations. The war that the Zimbabwean government is waging against its citizen has a devastating effect on SA and the region as the whole.
Millions of Zimbabweans are now staying in SA in pursuit of better life in an effort to run away from the hardship and economic meltdown that is affecting their country.
The new dawn as promised by President Emmerson Mnangagwa when he took over power after a military coup that disposed Robert Mugabe has been replaced by the militarisation of the state.
Journalists are under attack, including the banning of all peaceful demonstrations against poverty and corruption which the regime called are activities fueled by the West and the dark forces that want to unseat the democratic government.
The AU has declared the year 2020 as the year of silencing the guns on the continent. The awful events that are taking place in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique should be a concern to all peace-loving citizen of our continent.
President Ramaphosa must mobilise the regional peace keeping force to descend in Mozambique before the war turn out to a full-scale civil war reminiscent of the war that Renamo waged for years against the people of that country.
We can’t wait any further as the region thinking that the war only affects the people of Mozambique. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement that the 54member state of the continent has signed will be a pipe dream if the continent can’t achieve peace and political stability.
We need all the African leaders to stand up and confront all forms of violence perpetuated by either governments or rebels against their citizens. These SADC and AU summits must now start to deal with all issues that affect the continent head on instead of these summits turning to be expensive talk shows with no tangible achievements.
It’s time for the continent to take its rightful place in the world. However, it must begin by confronting all the social and economic ills that has besieged the continent of Africa.
Our leaders must stop pampering each other under the disguise of not interfering in domestic affairs and respecting the sovereignty of each member state. SADC and AU the jury is out in ensuring that you deal with political instability and violence that is unfolding in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
- Mgcina is a Sowetan reader
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