This past week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa visited his “brother”, Joseph Kabila, the current illegitimate President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The visit by Mnangagwa was part of his regional adventure to brief his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Joseph Kabila on the transition that led to the end of former president Robert Mugabe's rule last year. According to the state-owned Herald newspaper, Mnangagwa held a closed-door meeting in Kinshasa with Kabila.
Mnangagwa visit to the DRC comes after weeks of engagement with other regional countries such as Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. In understanding the intended purpose of Mnangagwa “closed door” meeting with Kabila, it will also be good to look at the deep-seated problems currently devilling the DRC. According to the country’s constitution, Kabila’s mandated term ended back in December 2016. However, his administration simply failed to organize elections and has embarked on various attempts to keep the president in power. His refusal to respect the constitution prompted widespread non-violent urban protests, which were met with harsh repression and deadly force. To date the DRC, remains engulfed in a crisis owing to the failure by Kabila to respect the constitution.
AU, SADC silence on the DRC shocking
Botswana became the first country to explicitly call Kabila, to step down. As most African leaders maintained a stony silence in response to Congolese leader Joseph Kabila’s determination to postpone elections and extend his stay in office, Botswana President Ian Khama’s government shot straight from the hip.
“Some political leaders refuse to relinquish power when their term of office expires,” he said on Twitter. “It is clear that such leaders are driven by self-interest, instead of those of the people they govern. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a case in point”. In my view, President Khama must at least be commended for being vocal on countries that disrespect the constitution. During the Mugabe era, Khama crossed swords with fellow African leaders many times after they remained mum on the lack of democratic culture in Zimbabwe. And today, Khama has once again voiced his frustration over the blatant disregard of the constitution by Kabila.
For 17 years, DRC has lurched from one crisis to another. In all this, Kabila has been assisted by an array of actors – including donors, multinationals and international institutions – who have tolerated and enabled his abuses. These actors have unfortunately prioritized stability over democracy which unfortunately the Congolese people do not have at the moment.
Following the violent and heavy repression on protesters who expressed disapproval of Kabila’s continued grip on power, the reaction from much of the international community contrasted sharply with opinion in Congo. There was a deafening silence from some international quarters, while others urged all parties to refrain from violence. Such calls however neglect the deep seated problems of the lack of constitutionalism in the DRC that continue to dog the DRC till this day. To date, Kabila has reneged on two deals to get him to leave office and the silence from regional bodies such as the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been sickening to say the least.
Why ED visited DRC
Both Kabila and Mnangagwa have some similarities. They all face the heavy burden of legitimacy. They all came to power via the use of the military and they continue to serve as “illegitimate” leaders at the mercy of the military. While Mnangagwa’s visit was meant to drum up regional support and issues of legitimacy on his Presidency, they are both aware of the onerous task that lies ahead. On one hand, Kabila is reluctant to call for elections and step down. If he goes this route, that will signal the end of his 17-year tenure as President of the DRC.On one hand, Mnangagwa presidency has somewhat been quite controversial. His desire to rebrand ZANU PF has seen the 75-year-old president creating false hope and expectation. His 100 days in office has not yielded any tangible reforms. Added to this, in his 100 days in office, he has managed to “charm” the international community by promising to undertake serious reforms around elections and the economy. Any reasonable observer will conclude that Zimbabwe needs an all hands on deck approach to build a truly prosperous political and economic environment, one predicated on a foundation of justice and accountability. It is difficult to deny the negative impact that the military coup in Zimbabwe has had on the country’s social and political stability. ED has a lot of work ahead of him including the holding of a genuinely free and fair election this year, and if not much of the country will remain shackled, unable to break the hammerlock of an increasingly retrograde regime. Both “illegitimate” presidents know that indeed 2018 is judgement day for them and this even explains why they even conducted closed door meetings possibly to strategize.
Soon after the closed door meeting with Kabila, ED remarked, "I feel home away from home. President Kabila is a brother to me, I am his elder brother, he is younger, but of course he is my elder colleague. “He has been president for some time, but we are actually family and I am very happy to be here in the DRC and I was briefing my brother about this transition that has taken place in Zimbabwe and committing the new administration to consolidate our already excellent relationship."
What is saddening is the fact that our own media back home has failed to unpack the improperness of ED’S visit to the DRC.Whether it was done in the spirit of briefing Kabila about “transition” in Zimbabwe, visiting an individual who has failed to respect his own people’s constitution is deplorable and more or less exposes ED as an individual who embraces the blatant violation of constitutions. If anything, if ED is serious about issues of constitutionalism and democracy he must join hands with the lonely voice of Khama in calling for the stepping down of Kabila.
In the final analysis, Kabila is not the President of the DRC, regional bodies and the International community must appreciate this. The crisis in the DRC is desperate and neglected by regional groupings such as SADC and the AU. With several African set to hold election this year, will SADC and AU ensure that elections in African are peaceful, free and fair given that they have failed to act decisively on the current crisis in the DRC? I don’t think so!
Rawlings Magede is a Pan Africanist and writes here in his personal capacity. He tweets @rawedges and contactable on vamagede@gmail.com
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