Nevers Mumba Refuses to Withdraw Criticism of Zimbabwe Elections

Dr. Nevers Mumba, former vice-president of Zambia and current Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has refused to withdraw his support for the preliminary report on Zimbabwe’s elections.

The SADC report confirmed that it had seen a number of irregularities, such as voting delays, bans on opposition rallies, and biased state media coverage. A number of Zimbabwean figures, largely supporters of incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who won his re-election bid, criticised the report, despite it being based on factual evidence.

Dr. Mumba appeared on ZNBC Sunday Interview, and made it clear that people who disagreed with the report were welcome to challenge it legally. He reminded viewers that the report was not about personal opinion, but factual findings.

“When we go into a country, we do not observe elections as individuals but as representatives of SADC,” he added. “The task of the SADC observer mission was to audit the election”. He also made it clear that he sided neither with Mnangagwa or opposition frontrunner Nelson Chamisa.