1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
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together with the AU to engage the broader political leadership in Zimbabwe into a “negotiated<br />
transitional settlement”.<br />
The Botswana Observer Team roundly condemned the <strong>election</strong> before concluding that “the<br />
Presidential run-off was not free and fair, did not express the will of the people of Zimbabwe”.<br />
The Government of Botswana openly called for the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the SADC and<br />
the AU adding that it does not recognize the leadership in Zimbabwe while the African National<br />
Congress youth league Chairman Julius Malema called it “a joke of the worst order”.<br />
The Group of Eminent African leaders that include Nelson Mandela also expressed visible<br />
disquiet on the conduct of <strong>election</strong>s, generally describing the <strong>election</strong> as illegitimate and in fact<br />
a dark patchy in Africa’s electoral history. However, the manner in which some African leaders<br />
reacted to the <strong>election</strong> led to the questioning of the relevance and utility of the SADC protocols<br />
and guidelines governing the conduct of <strong>election</strong>s in Southern Africa. It seems that SADC<br />
leaders signed and ratified the principles governing the conduct of <strong>election</strong> as lip service but<br />
are reluctant to enforce them in their respective countries as demonstrated by the Zimbabwean<br />
case where the SADC principles were blatantly violated.<br />
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