This follows elections that took place in that country  last week.

Maroleng, whose team was forcibly expelled from Harare on the eve of the elections, says Ramaphosa’s utterances calls into question the region leaders’ commitment to democracy.

“What we have witnessed in Zimbabwe has been a poll that has been declared by Southern African Development Community (SADC) observers, African Union observers and others, as not being legitimate and ultimately not being able, as a result, to produce an outcome that could be deemed as free and fair.

“I think one of the key features of this is that what we have seen unfold in that country is a situation where the ruling ZANU-PF has demonstrated that it will go to any lengths, even changing or engineering a process in the elections in order to benefit them and maintain their grip on power,” Maroleng says.

He adds: “Ramaphosa’s reaction is bizarre and this is mainly due to the fact that SADC, which SA is a party to, basically called these elections not credible or legitimate. Therefore, it is very strange when the Head of State of a member State of SADC, congratulates Mnangagwa for winning these elections, when SADC has declared them to be illegitimate.

“This really calls into question the commitment of some of our regional leaders, and indeed SADC Heads of State Summit, whether they have a commitment to democracy, because it appears that what it amounts to is a grouping of Heads of State, who stand in solidarity with each other, notwithstanding the findings of one of their bodies that they had deployed to Zimbabwe to observe the elections. So, it is bizarre, disappointing and highly unsatisfactory,” he said.

With regard to the opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change calling of a re-run of the elections, he says that will be a “very difficult” process. “There would have to be a finding made in court that these elections did not satisfy the Electoral Act or the constitution”.

--ChannelAfrica--