SADC Leaders
Lawrence Temfwe April 2nd, 2007
The failure to insist for real reform on Zimbabwe by SADC leaders at their recent meeting in Tanzania highlights why the continent is continually entangled in never ending crises. The leaders’ decision of the following: 1. Dialogue the best way out. 2. South African President, Thabo Mbeki asked to facilitate 3. Lift Sanctions and end isolation, suggests that the leaders focused their energies on damage control and crises management.
What this discussion did was to suggest that the future of Zimbabwe does not lie, for the moment in the poor and the oppressed people of Zimbabwe who were totally excluded from this discussion. The fact that there is no comment in their statement of any concern about people who are being arrested, detained and tortured for expressing their view, should raise apprehension about the commitment of SADC leaders to good governance and freedom of expression.
When the people do not enjoy political freedom it is practically difficult for them to enjoy economic freedom or prosperity. Political freedom and good governance leads to successful economic development. Sadly, even for most African countries, the political freedom of the masses has been stripped by excess of government regulations and information controls. What type of criticism is acceptable? What must be printed in the media or shown on television as news worth? When to hold overnight prayer meetings or opposition political rallies are all dictated by the leaders in power. For example, the political information required to hold leaders accountable in Zambia is concentrated in urban areas such as Kabulonga, and Parklands, thus bypass the rural people of Kabompo, Chinsali and Samfya.
It is these rural peasants who ultimately bear the burden of their leaders’ greed and neglect. Rural roads that are critical to bring farm produce to the market for peasants are uncared for. The rural peasants who are having the lowest rate of HIV/AIDS infections are also the most ignorant about the governments’ intentions of reducing AIDS transmission rates. The rural peasant has no knowledge about her government’s dedication to address and eventually overcome the human development challenges because she has no idea that her government has signed the Millennium Development to halve poverty by 2015.
Again, the church in SADC countries is being called to discern and accurately participate in the co-ordinated efforts of God to “bind up the broken-hearted, and to proclaim freedom to the captives.” Micah Challenge, a global advocacy initiative of the World Evangelical Alliance, representing more than 420 Christians, and the Micah Network, bringing more than 300 Christian organizations providing relief, justice and development activities through out the world have released the attached communiqué on the situation in Zimbabwe. If you believe Christians have the responsibility to serve as a voice for the voiceless, and to speak prophetically to change situations for the good of all, we invite you to pray over the situation in Zimbabwe and to encourage your church to pray as well as to act prophetically.
