Southern African Leaders Face Worsening Zimbabwe Crisis
Zambia is assuming SADC’s chairmanship - significant because President Levy Mwanawasa broke ranks in March when he called Zimbabwe a "s
Leaders of the Southern African Development Community were converging in Lusaka, Zambia, on Wednesday for a summit of regional heads of state to begin Thursday and which SADC and other sources said will focus substantially on the Zimbabwe crisis. From South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki and Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma were expected to attend a session late Wednesday of SADC’s committee on politics, defense and security that officials said would take up political conditions in Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lesotho. Mr Mbeki, appointed mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis by SADC, was to brief the panel on his progress. He was to present a full report on the matter to SADC heads of state on Thursday. SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomao, who was assigned to examine the economic crisis and look for solutions, was also to brief leaders. SADC Deputy Executive Secretary Joao Caholo said the Zimbabwe crisis is high on the agenda and that the region will take practical steps to resolve the crisis. But Zimbabwean Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga insisted that the summit was an ordinary meeting, deploring what he called a campaign by Western critics of the government of President Robert Mugabe to put Harare on the spot. Zambia is assuming SADC’s rotating leadership – significant because President Levy Mwanawasa broke ranks with his African peers in March when he likened Zimbabwe to a "sinking Titanic," saying South Africa's “quiet diplomacy” had been ineffective. As top regional officials prepared their summit, non-governmental organizations from SADC countries met in Lusaka to discuss the way out of the Zimbabwe crisis. Among Zimbabwean activists offering an overview on the situation were Arnold Tsunga, executive director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Lovemore Matombo, president of the Zimbabwe Congress for Trade Unions, Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly and Netsai Mushonga, who was representing a coalition of Zimbabwean women’s groups. Some 40 Zimbabwean activists never made it to Lusaka because they were barred from entering Zambia at the Chirundu border post. Zambian authorities suspected the Zimbabweans intended to stage a protest at the summit when they found T-shirts with the slogan “Save Zimbabwe” in the bus that was transporting the activists. Zambian authorities handed the activists over to the Zimbabwean police. The activists were held at Chirundu police station where they were reportedly being questioned by police and security agents. Lawyers were said to be on their way to represent them.