Many SADC Leaders Boycott Zimbabwe President inauguration

Only three out of 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state attended Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inauguration in Harare.

Along with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, those who made the trip to Harare were Mozambique’s Filipe Nyusi and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi.

In his speech Mnangagwa accused outsiders of trying to sponsor mayhem during elections but pledged to transform living standards of the poor and uphold constitution.

Along with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, those who made the trip to Harare were Mozambique’s Filipe Nyusi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi.

Other SADC countries sent foreign affairs ministers and envoys stationed in Zimbabwe.

Deemed hostile, Zambia’s president, Hakainde Hichilema, dispatched his foreign affairs minister, Stanley Kakubo.

Former Zambian president Edgar Lungu also attended the ceremony alongside China’s vice president, Han Zheng and former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano and Belarus’ deputy prime minister, Petr Parkhomchyk.

Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi did not attend. Instead, he chose to travel to the Africa Down Under (ADU) conference in Australia.

At the inauguration, he was represented by his envoy stationed in Harare.

Mnangagwa won an election flagged as a flawed process by the SADC Election Observer Mission, the African Union, and other international missions such as the European Union and Carter Center.