Hakainde Hichilema Awaits Outcome of New Zimbabwe SADC Mission

As questions are asked about the freedom and fairness of Zimbabwe’s elections, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema is seemingly waiting to see the outcome of a new South African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Country.

Incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa has claimed victory in last Wednesday’s presidential election. The Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) declared that Mnangagwa had received 52.6% of the vote late of Saturday, exceeding the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off against popular opposition figure Nelson Chamisa.

Mnangagwa, a long-time ally of former President Robert Mugabe, led a successful coup d’état against his mentor in 2017, and was voted into power in 2018. Chamisa, who was declared to have won 44% of the vote by the ZEC, has said his Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party will hold a conference “unmasking the election crisis” at 15:00 today.

The electoral process was marred by factors that prevented thousands from voting in urban areas, especially Bulawayo and Harare province, where Chamisa and his CCC party dominated the ballot. Voter turnout was 69% - far lower than previous elections - with 2 million registered citizens failing to post a ballot paper.

In many polling stations, a lack or total absence of ballot papers and voting ink were reported, leading to such significant delays that a number of stations were kept open the following day. Poorly-disguised ZANU-PF trucks were present at some of the most highly-contested seats, as were so-called ‘exit poll’ stations with attendants in ZANU-PF regalia asking citizens how they had voted.

In a statement published on the eve of Zimbabwe’s elections, President Hichilema stated that the SADC’s vision of democracy “is defined by regular, credible, free, fair, and transparent electoral processes”. He urged Zimbabwe’s people “to exercise their constitutional rights and participate in this crucial phase”, and asked citizens “to stay calm”.

On Friday, SADC’s Electoral Observer Mission (EOM), spearheaded by former Zambia Vice-President Nevers Mumba, criticised laws in Zimbabwe restricting free speech, voter intimidation by ZANU-PF, and mismanagement by the ZEC. Aspects of the election “fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe”, concluded Mr. Mumba during the conference announcing the SADC EOM’s findings.

On Saturday, the SADC reported “personal attacks to the head” of its EOM, Mr. Mumba, made shortly after his statement on the fairness of Zimbabwe’s elections. It was announced earlier today that a SADC Panel of Elders, led by former Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete, was flying to Harare to assess the EOM’s preliminary report.

Tellingly, President Hichilema has yet to congratulate Mnangagwa’s win, awaiting the new SADC commission’s findings as chairperson of its Troika Organ. The SADC and African Union have likewise withheld congratulations that would legitimise the reported outcome of Zimbabwe’s elections, as have the Heads of State of neighbouring nations Kenya, Mozambique and Botswana.