Teacher: Zim has just hosted a SADC meeting.
What does the acronym SADC stand for, anyone?
Student 1: It stands for the Southern African Development Community.
Teacher: Good. What are its key objectives?
Student 2: To achieve development, peace and security and economic growth, to alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of life of the peoples of Southern Africa, and support the socially disadvantaged through regional integration, built on democratic principles and equitable and sustainable development.
Teacher: Well done! How useful is this organisation?
Student 3: It’s useless because it has failed dismally to hold accountable member countries whose leaders have a history and a tendency of causing election-related violence, social confusion and trepidation.
Student 4: It has been found wanting on various fronts, for instance, on the promotion of human rights and democracy and peace and security. What has it done about xenophobia in SA; socio-economic and political chaos, and non-peaceful transition -related tensions in Zim?
Student 5: I pored over a report on SADC based on a thorough and systematic
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis and discovered that though it has conflict prevention and management tools, instruments, institutions and processes that seek to promote efficacy and effectiveness, that is just good on paper. For me, it is a paper tiger.
Student 6: Several economic reports show that industrialisation in the SADC region has been slow, mainly in the manufacturing sector. For instance, Zim is failing bleakly to revive firms and parastatals like the once-glorious NRZ.
Student 7: When the delegates travel to attend SADC meetings, I think of touring shows. Call them roadshows to talk shows! (The teacher is tearful). It’s no laughing matter, teacher. SADC members don’t usually bother to rein in errant members who stray off and glaringly commit violations of human rights, electoral irregularities, tyranny and violence. They don’t walk their talk. No cash talk. Though, I was happy with one rare and brave report on electoral indiscretions that had the notorious culprits bared, livid, cursing and colic!
Teacher: Whose interests does the regional body, SADC serve?
Student 7: Certainly, not of the governed or the citizens. It’s a dubious club where friends, brothers and sisters hang out. They meet up, dine and debate. In fact, it’s more about posturing and pronouncements than about implementation. Sometimes, I ask myself: what difference would its dissolution make? Isn’t it a hopeless and impotent club? If they are not powerless and useless, let’s see how they will action a petition that was recently submitted to them…
Student 8: (Beaming). It’s useful because when their meeting was being convened recently, they cleaned up the streets, they spruced things up, and … load shedding was put on hiatus in Zim! How relieved we were! Can we please have that clowns’ meeting every day. (Grimacing). But wait a minute, maybe you are right? Load shedding is back with a vengeance. It’s awful. Besides, citizens received menacing pre-meeting ‘cautions’ much to the detriment and the demise of their constitutional rights.
