African Union 10-member Observer Team Arrives in Zimbabwe

Joyce Kazembe is the acting chair of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. The country will hold a referendum on a new constitution on March 16, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

AU 10-member observer team arrives

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 00:00
Michael Chideme Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

A 10-member African Union (AU) pre-observer team arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday to assess the political situation ahead of harmonised elections set for July 31.

AU political officer Mr Idrissa Kamara is leading the team that includes Ms Joyce Pitso, Ms Chirambo Kondwani, Mr Gilbert Khadiagala, all of South Africa; Mr Job Akuni, Mr Crispy Praise Kaheru and Ms Hope-Mary Nsagi of Uganda; Mrs Maraetile Polaki of Lesotho; Mr Emmanuel Abegunde of Nigeria and South Sudanese national Mr Remember Miamingi.

Ms Chirambo is co-ordinating the team.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission deputy chairperson Mrs Joyce Kazembe said nine members of the team would remain in the country to observe the whole electoral process, while one would return to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mrs Kazembe said the electoral body would accredit the AU team tomorrow.

The AU announced the deployment through a letter to Government earlier this month.

“The Commission of African Union presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe and has the honour to inform the latter that the chairperson of the African Union Commission has decided to deploy nine long-term observers to Zimbabwe to monitor the upcoming general elections tentatively scheduled for 31st July 2013,” reads part of the letter.

The arrival of the observers was further testimony of the AU’s endorsement of the date for the harmonised polls coming as it did just a day after the continental bloc stressed that only Zimbabweans can resolve any contestation over their election date as it was not proper for anyone else to second-guess the country’s courts.

Addressing a Press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, African Union Commission chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the only question should be whether the polls are free and fair.

“The courts have said the elections must take place. And so do we listen to the courts? Or do we not listen to the courts?

“I thought a lot of you have always been talking to us about the rule of law and respect for the Judiciary,” Reuters quoted Dr Dlamini-Zuma as saying.

“So I don’t know. The Zimbabweans must sort it out, whether they listen to the Judiciary and go with what the Judiciary has said, or whether they ignore it.”

The Constitutional Court ruled, with a crushing majority of seven judges assenting to two dissenting, that harmonised elections be held by July 31 in the wake of an application by Mr Jealousy Mawarire of the Centre for Elections and Democracy who wanted the court to compel President Mugabe to proclaim the election date before the expiry of the life of the Seventh Parliament.