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Southern Africa: Be Ready to Act On Zim Says Observer Mission
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New Era (Windhoek)
23 April 2008
Posted to the web 23 April 2008
Kuvee Kangueehi
Windhoek
The Namibian Government's Election Observer Mission to Zimbabwe has recommended to President Hifikepunye Pohamba that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) act swiftly should a post-election dispute arise after all the results are announced in Zimbabwe.
In the report, which was tabled in the National Assembly yesterday, the observer mission said it would be important for SADC to constitute, as a matter of urgency, a team at Heads of State level to mediate.
The report recommended that a Group of Eminent Persons of former Heads of State could also play a crucial mediation role.
The observer mission, which was headed by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, expressed concern over the premature announcement by the Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) president, Morgan Tsvangirai, and the celebration of the party's perceived victory and said it is cause for concern if the MDC did not win.
The report, which was tabled by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Marco Hausiku, states that the pronouncement by some chiefs of security forces that they will not salute any person other than President Robert Mugabe has contributed to opposition parties' fears of possible election rigging by the Government or a coup d'état.
The report states that all the observer missions agreed with the SADC assessment that not withstanding some complaints by the opposition, the electoral process was transparent.
"The elections were free of violence and were concluded in a calm and peaceful environment."
The report says the SADC agreed that allegations of irregularities by the opposition could not have altered the outcome of the elections. They also agreed to encourage all political parties not to resort to violence in the event of any dispute.
The tabling of the report in the National Assembly comes two days after it was reported in the media that a Chinese ship carrying weapons and ammunition destined for Zimbabwe is heading for the Port of Walvis Bay.
Meanwhile, yesterday the president of the Congress of Democrats, Ben Ulenga, gave notice that he will move a motion that the House urgently debate and take a stand on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Ulenga informed Parliament that Zimbabwe has been in a state of political limbo for the past three weeks, since the harmonised elections at the end of last month.
He claimed that the country has since experienced an alarming increase in political violence and thuggery including murders, beatings and arrests with more than 400 opposition political activists arrested in the last week.
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Ulenga, in his notice, urged the Namibian Government to use all the influence at its disposal to bring the political crisis in Zimbabwe to a close.
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