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Zimbabwe: SA MP Observers Told to Keep Mum By SADC
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
20 March 2008
Posted to the web 20 March 2008
Hopewell Radebe
Johannesburg
SOUTH African MPs deployed in Zimbabwe under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer mission have been warned against issuing independent statements that could contradict or bring into disrepute the spirit of the Angolan-led delegation.
Ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo, foreign affairs deputy director-general for Africa, was briefing the media in Pretoria yesterday before the 54-member delegation of MPs, government officials, non-governmental organisations and electoral commission representatives left for Zimbabwe.
He said that unlike in the past when the government sent its own observer mission, the South African MPs had to accept the fact that they were going to Zimbabwe as representatives of the SADC mission, and not as individuals.
They would be expected to be guided by the SADC's code of conduct, which meant that they would "not seek to score cheap political points" by pronouncing their individual views .
Instead, they should share the sentiments that would be expressed by "the SADC collective" after the elections.
"It should be understood that they are not going to Zimbabwe to endorse any situation, but to objectively monitor the elections," Mamabolo said.
He said that there was nothing stopping the ruling African National Congress or other parties from sending their observer teams, which could then express their own views about the elections to satisfy the political agendas of their respective parties.
"We are part of the collective that in the end must be guided by the SADC code of conduct and must take ownership to the decisions of the mission," he said.
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The SADC delegation would be expected to spare no effort in intervening where necessary.
This was to ensure that Zimbabwe's stakeholders were left with no doubt that they acted fairly when dealing with concerns and complaints .
He said the mission must endeavour not to endorse anything, but rather verify every statement by some or allegation by others.
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