Harare – The 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Zimbabwe on 17 August, was marred by the absence of three key regional leaders and the late arrival of another, highlighting growing tensions within the bloc. Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had spent millions of dollars on luxurious presidential villas to accommodate visiting dignitaries, found himself hosting a summit with significantly fewer attendees than anticipated, The Africa Reported has reported . The most notable absence was that of Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, the outgoing chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
Hichilema, who was scheduled to open the organ’s meeting on 16 August, opted to attend virtually instead. He also skipped the summit itself, choosing to attend an event in Zambia while his Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe led the country’s delegation . South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was expected to arrive the day before the summit, also arrived late, only appearing after the formal opening ceremony.
Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi and Mozambique’s Filipe Nyusi also arrived on the day of the summit. While Zimbabwe’s press boasted about the attendance at the summit, the absences of Hichilema, Ramaphosa, and Comoros’ Azali Assoumani, along with the late arrival of others, raised concerns about the waning influence of the regional bloc. Eldred .