SADC urges restraint in Zimbabwe
Michael Appel
16 April 2008
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has urged restraint, acceptance and the release of election results in Zimbabwe, says South African Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi.
"The summit appealed to concerned parties to exercise restraint and refrain from inflaming the political situation in Zimbabwe," Mufamadi told journalists in Pretoria on Tuesday, following an extraordinary SADC summit meeting in Zambia on the weekend.
"They also called on electoral authorities to release outstanding results expeditiously, and ensure that all concerns regarding the results are dealt with in accordance with the laws governing the electoral process."
The minister was speaking in his capacity as a member of President Thabo Mbeki's facilitation team, mandated by the SADC to facilitate talks between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the lead-up to the 29 March elections in that country.
Mufamadi said the summit had committed the SADC to continuing to play a role in Zimbabwe as the prospects of a run-off election between presidential candidates Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai grows.
"Should there be a need for a run-off … SADC pledges to participate in ensuring that the climate and environment in which such a run-off would take place, if it has to take place at all, is one that is even better than the environment that obtained in the elections that have just taken place."
The Zimbabwe High Court ruled on Monday against the MDC's petition to force the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to release the results of the presidential elections.
At the same time, the ZEC has accepted a request from Zanu-PF to recount votes in 23 constituencies.
When asked why the ZEC had complied with Zanu-PF's request for a recount of ballots, Mufamadi said that although the SADC interacted with everybody, "we should not be reduced to spokespersons for the ZEC. That decision was taken by the ZEC.
"They have taken that decision, and it's important that they are asked how they arrived at it … and they have an obligation in a situation where any of the parties raises concerns, to examine the concerns and see whether they warrant a course of action."
Source: BuaNews
