November 16, 2017•Update: November 17, 2017
By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG
Ministers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Thursday recommended the regional body hold an emergency extraordinary summit to discuss the unfolding political situation in Zimbabwe.
Foreign ministers from the body’s troika member states of Angola, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa earlier met in neighboring Botswana to try and find a solution to the crisis in Zimbabwe.
In a statement, South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana Masabane said the SADC condemns the unconstitutional change of government in accordance with the African Union.
“SADC Organ Troika called upon all stakeholders in Zimbabwe to settle the political challenges through peaceful means,” said the statement.
The SADC is a regional bloc of 15 countries. It often intervenes in mediating political impasses among member states.
Some analysts criticized the Thursday meeting for not finding a solution to the crisis, but others believe a special summit of all heads of state is better positioned to find a lasting solution.
The SADC meeting comes a day after the Zimbabwean military seized power from longtime President Robert Mugabe and detained him and his family.
The Zimbabwean army reportedly also detained several Cabinet ministers.
As SADC ministers were busy meeting in Botswana, Mugabe met with a South Africa delegation sent to mediate between him and the commander of the Zimbabwe Defense Force (ZDF), according to state-run daily The Herald.
The paper published images of Mugabe meeting with ZDF Commander Gen. Constantaino Chiwenga, South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and South African State Security Minister Bongani Bongo.
