The refusal of most SADC heads of state to support Mnangagwa's inauguration -- and the absence of all three presidents in the SADC Troika -- follows the unprecedented condemnation of the elections by the body's observer mission.

As the crowds of press-ganged supporters spilt into Zimbabwe's National Sports Stadium for President Emmerson Mnangagwa's inauguration ceremony on Monday 4 September 2023, one group of guests was conspicuous by its absence.

Of the 16 presidents of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), only three -- South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Mozambique's Filipe Nyusi, and DRC's Félix Tshisekedi -- bothered to attend.

From the 51 remaining African countries, not one head of state was present, represented instead by an eclectic retinue of ambassadors and junior ministers.

This snub is a damning indictment of the illegitimacy of Zimbabwe's much-derided elections and will be harshly felt by Mnangagwa. It is one thing for his regime to have been condemned and sanctioned by the West, but entirely another to be ostracised by fellow African leaders.

The president has been forced to scramble around for support: former Zambian president Edgar Lungu made a rare public appearance at the inauguration at Mnangagwa's (last minute) invitation. But this matters little when Zambia's current president, Hakainde Hichilema, has refused either to congratulate Mnangagwa or attend his inauguration, sending Foreign Affairs Minister Stanley Kakubo in his stead.

SADC's unexpected censure

Hichilema's cold shoulder is an important diplomatic signal....