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HARARE – Zimbabwe is gearing up to host the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit in mid-August.
Extensive preparations are underway in the country, including building new roads and villas for delegates, bringing in luxury buses, planting new trees and calling for a week without demonstrations.
Judging by the scale of the preparations, the government sees the summit, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa will take over from Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema as leader of the regional bloc, as a major image-building opportunity. The chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community rotates annually, and it is a significant moment for the military-backed regime in Harare.
“I commend my government and my people for expediting the preparations and getting things done,” Mnangagwa said at the funeral of national hero, retired Brigadier General Michael Chaminuka, on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe last chaired SADC in 2014 when the late Robert Mugabe was president and the summit was held in Victoria Falls. This year’s summit is scheduled for August 17-18, just a year after a controversial general election that SADC described as flawed.
The opposition has been weakened for much of the past year by internal strife and a government crackdown on dissent, and at least 80 opposition activists are currently in jail on suspicion of planning to incite violence, including some accused of planning the demonstrations during the summit.
On Wednesday, police rounded up 44 Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (Zinasu) activists at Belvedere in Harare. Police claimed violence broke out between activists, leading to their arrest, but Zinasu said police raided their meeting. The activists have since appeared in court. Amnesty International called on the authorities to “respect freedom of assembly and association.”
The Zimbabwean government has spent more than $207 million to renovate Harare and its satellite town of Mount Hampden. Critics say the spending is misguided given the lack of medicines in hospitals and other inadequate public services. Still, the government has funded projects to replace old streetlights and resurface the capital’s main roads.
Before the summit, informal vendors reported being harassed and demanded that the streets be cleaned to improve the city’s image. Property owners along Airport Road, which leads to the city, were given until July 31 to improve the appearance of their properties.
The main venue for the summit will be the Chinese-funded Parliament House on Hampden Hill. In the same area, the government built 18 villas in three months, built by Swiss company Mabetex Group, for high-profile representatives such as heads of state to stay.
In addition, the government has purchased two luxury buses to transport delegates to the venue. These buses are equipped with heating and massage sofas, wireless Internet, a TV for each seat, a kitchen and a toilet.
Zimbabwe’s extensive preparations for the 44th Southern African Development Community summit underscore the importance the Mnangagwa government is placing on the event. While the government wants to project a positive image, critics remain concerned about the country’s priorities amid ongoing public service challenges and political tensions.
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