SADC chairperson and South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma has spoken on the current political situation in Zimbabwe. This comes after the Zimbabwe Defence Forces took control of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and announced that they have taken over but deny that it is coup.
On behalf of SADC, President Zuma noted with great concern the unfolding political situation in Zimbabwe and called for calm and restraint. He expressed hope that there would be no unconstitutional changes of Government as that would be contrary to both SADC and African Union positions which is against a coup.
Zuma urged Zimbabwe’s Government and the Zimbabwe Defence Force to resolve the political impasse amicably and urged the Zimbabwean Defence Force to ensure that the maintenance of peace and security in the country is not compromised. He said SADC will continue to closely monitor the situation and remains ready to assist where necessary to resolve the political impasse in keeping with established SADC Protocols and processes.