President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday held a private meeting in which the “shock” victory of Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema in that country’s 12 August presidential electionwas discussed.
The NewsHawks has reported that the two presidents held a meeting on the sidelines of the Southern African Development Community 41st summit of heads of state and government in Lilongwe, Malawi.
The publication was told that the meeting was attended by Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs minister Frederick Shava, Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and officials from the South African government. A source familiar with the discussions said:
The President-elect has strong connections with both Zimbabwe’s and South Africa’s main opposition parties and discussions on how revolutionary parties like the ANC and Zanu PF can consolidate their positions were discussed. This election showed that political winds of change were ushered in by young people who are often accused of being reluctant to vote.
The leaders also discussed Sadc’s role in the Mozambican conflict. If you may recall last month, South Africa’s then Defence minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, expressed her displeasure on why Rwandan troops had been deployed ahead of the regional bloc. In light of this, charting the way forward thus became paramount for the two leaders.
Following Hichilema’s victory, there is growing optimism among opposition parties in the SADC region that the dynamics will likely herald a wave of change across the region and perhaps Africa at large.
Opposition parties have so far found it difficult to dislodge revolutionary parties that are usually closely linked to the military that is a huge stakeholder in the affairs of nations.
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