Southern African Leaders Open Summit With Focus on Zimbabwe Power-Sharing
South African President Zuma told his peers the unity government in Harare was making progress implementing the power-sharing pact
An earlier statement issued by the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs said President Jacob Zuma would tell the regional leaders that he expected “further positive results at the end of this year" in Zimbabwe Heads of state and government of the Southern African Development Community met Monday in Windhoek, Namibia, to discuss Zimbabwe's troubled power sharing government, among other regional issues. South African President Jacob Zuma, mediator for SADC in Zimbabwe, briefed the summit on developments, telling delegates that the unity government in Harare was making progress on implementing the 2008 Global Political Agreement which laid the foundation for the transitional power-sharing government. An earlier statement from the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs said President Zuma would also tell the regional leaders that he expected “further positive results at the end of this year.” President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara were all at the summit, which was to conclude on Tuesday. Reports from Namibia said Zimbabwe’s political situation was also examined by the SADC troika on politics, defense and security late Sunday. The Lesotho, Swaziland and Madagascar matters were also considered. Zimbabwean civic groups, meanwhile, converged with their regional counterparts on the sidelines of the SADC for what was described as a "people's summit." Zimbabwe Human Rights Association Director Okay Machisa told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that the organizations drafted a petition to SADC heads of state calling for accelerated reforms in Zimbabwe. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Programs Manager Pedzisai Ruhanya told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that reports emanating from the summit on Zimbabwe do not truly reflect the situation in the country. The organizations also called for political stability in other regional countries including Swaziland and Lesotho. Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba took over the chairmanship of SADC from President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo.