President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s congratulations to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his re-election after last Wednesday’s elections was on the basis that the country’s Election Commission has declared him the winner.
This is despite the SADC Observer Mission having expressed its reservations on the recently concluded harmonised elections.
The regional observer team flagged voting delays, the banning of opposition rallies and biased state media coverage as concerns, while the head of the European Union’s observer mission said the elections took place in a climate of fear.
Speaking to the SABC on the sidelines of his visit to Soweto earlier on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa urged for patience until everything is processed.
“The SADC body has issued a preliminary report. They are still going to sit down together with many other observers and analyse everything. So, let’s wait until all that comes out but the Electoral Commission in Zimbabwe has made a declaration and it is on that basis that we have issued our congratulatory message. So, the rest of other things still need to be processed no doubt and everybody including the government of Zimbabwe accepts that so let’s wait until everything is well processed.”
