SADC Summit: Success Despite Opposition’s “Hell-Bent” Disruption Efforts
by Priviledge Zviregei
The recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit, held in Zimbabwe, has been lauded as a resounding success, with the opposition’s attempts to disrupt the event ultimately backfiring, according to prominent religious leader Rev. Musindo.
In the lead-up to the summit, opposition groups engaged in a campaign of negative publicity and threatened protests, aiming to taint the image of the ruling ZANU-PF party. However, Rev. Musindo believes these efforts inadvertently served to highlight Zimbabwe’s strengths on the international stage.
“They did Zimbabwe and President Mnangagwa a favor by putting us on the map,” Rev. Musindo said in an interview following the summit. “They made it to the news of most countries, only for all the member states to come and see the total opposite.”
He further explained that the opposition’s tactics, while intended to be damaging, ultimately served as a form of “negative publicity,” which, as former US President Donald Trump famously said, can be beneficial.
“Out of their hatred of President Mnangagwa, they did put him on the international map,” Rev. Musindo continued. “The performance and the way things were done showed that Zimbabwe has the capacity to host. They made it extraordinary because they wanted it to stop, but they failed. It became successful, well-organized, and well-attended. Even the people who didn’t know about SADC now know because of the detractors.”
Rev. Musindo also addressed the opposition’s criticism of infrastructure improvements, specifically road construction, undertaken in preparation for the summit. He emphasized that these projects were already underway and were not solely intended for the SADC event.
“We need to talk about the road construction,” he said. “The roads were already being constructed with or without the SADC. They were not being done for SADC, but as the hosts, the coming in of SADC accelerated the process. We were already renovating our home.”
Rev. Musindo urged Zimbabweans to embrace a more positive outlook towards their country and its progress. He also expressed his belief that the opposition’s motives are inherently destructive, lacking any genuine desire for national development.
“I want to say to Zimbabweans they must stop being negative about their country,” he stated. “They must stop fighting prosperity. As a pastor, I want to say I think our political oppositions were started in hell. These people have no intentions to build. Since 2002, they haven’t built anything. The same opposition that causes chaos every time.”
The successful hosting of the SADC Summit, despite the opposition’s attempts to disrupt it, has been seen as a positive step for Zimbabwe, showcasing its ability to organize and execute large-scale international events.
