By MAFIKA SIPHIWE MGCINA
WHILE the whole world and the continent are engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic there’s something brewing in our Southern African Development Community.
There’s a low-intensity war taking place in our neighbour Zimbabwe where the government has launched a brutal attack against its citizens.
In Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province there’s also a full-scale war taking place in the oil and gas region waged by Islamic State rebels.
The war has now taken place for more than three years without any SADC member state raising a hand to intervene.
These two situations need the full attention of both the SADC region and AU to deal with these threats decisively.
President Ramaphosa, as the current chairperson of the AU, should ensure that these issues take centre stage on the agenda of these organisations.
The war that the Zimbabwean government is waging against its citizens has a devastating effect on South Africa and the region as a whole.
Millions of Zimbabweans are now living in South Africa in pursuit of a better life in an effort to avoid the hardship and economic meltdown that is affecting their country.
The new dawn promised by President Mnangagwa when he took power after a military coup that disposed of Robert Mugabe has been replaced by the militarisation of the state.
Journalists are under attack, and all demonstrations against poverty and corruption have been banned.
The regime branded these activities as being fuelled by the West and dark forces that want to unseat the democratic government.
The AU has declared the year 2020 as the year of silencing the guns on the continent.
The awful events taking place in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique should be a concern to all peace-loving citizens of our continent.
President Ramaphosa must mobilise the regional peacekeeping force to descend on Mozambique before the war turns into a full-scale civil war reminiscent of the war that Renamo waged for years against the people of Mozambique.
We can’t wait any longer as a region, thinking that the war only affects the people of Mozambique.
The Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement that the 54 member states of the continent have signed will be a pipe dream if the continent cannot achieve peace and political stability.
We need all African leaders to stand up and confront all forms of violence perpetrated by either governments or rebels against their citizens.
These SADC and AU summits must now start to deal head-on with all issues that affect the continent instead of these summits turning into expensive talk shows with no tangible achievements.
It is time for the continent to take its rightful place on the world stage.
However, it must begin by confronting all the social and economic ills that have besieged it.
Our leaders must stop pampering each other under the guise of not interfering in other countries’ domestic affairs and respecting the sovereignty of each member state.
SADC and AU, the jury is out in ensuring that you deal with the political instability and violence unfolding in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
* Mgcina is the ANC Regional Task Team Co-ordinator in the Sedibeng Region
* The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Independent Media.