Outgoing Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax said that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe that warrants regional intervention.
Speaking to the Daily News On Sunday on Saturday, Tax said it was up to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other local stakeholders to decide whether to hold national dialogue or not. Tax said:
Zimbabwe as a sovereign state has its means and frameworks to guide the political affairs of the nation.
SADC as a regional bloc recognises constitutions and legislation of member states and encourages SADC citizens to resolve national political differences through peaceful means while abiding by the relevant laws.
… At present, there is no intra-state conflict in Zimbabwe that requires the activation of the regional response mechanisms.
Tax further said the MDC Alliance had not approached the regional body to facilitate dialogue between Mnangagwa and the opposition. She said:
As far as the secretariat is concerned, we do not recall being recently approached.
We are not aware of any challenges specific to Zimbabwe which require the activation of any of the regional response mechanisms.