The SADC Summit is here, and Zimbabwe’s government is over the moon. It is important to understand its historical significance

TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA 

HARARE – The 44th Ordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government has arrived, with the regional summit scheduled for 17th of August in Harare, Zimbabwe. And as expected, Zimbabwe's government has been apoplectic and frenzied in the run-up to the summit; presenting this as a major sign of success in which great things beckon for the country. Rightly so, for this is the prerogative of any government really. It is a symbol of pride, even amid sociopolitical and economic conditions that are not favourable to large sections of the population. 

With the Summit, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa will assume the rotating SADC chairmanship position 

The 44th Ordinary SADC Summit will be held under the theme, "Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an industrialised SADC". In a fast-paced world such as ours today, this is a befitting theme, one that if taken seriously through enough will power could greatly turn things around for SADC's populations. 

The SADC Summit is responsible for the overall policy trajectory and control of functions of the Community, ultimately making it the policy-making institution of SADC. The Ordinary SADC Summit is held every year and is attended by Heads of State and Government from the 16 SADC Member States namely, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is also attended by heads of continental and regional bodies as observers.

There can be no doubt that the SADC is an important political entity in our region, especially as seen from historical lenses. SADC emerged as a direct result of the original liberatory Frontline States (Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana) that supported not only Zimbabwe but also South Africa, Namibia in the protracted struggle to be freed from the shackles of colonialism and imperialism. This is a history that cannot be wished away. 

The SADC, as a regional political bloc, is deeply entrenched in the region's shared history of anti-colonial struggles—a shared solidarity to see each other free. The SADC Summit, absent the declarations of the government on how big of a feast this is, should be seen in such a historical context. 

It is thus not remiss to assert that the government is over the moon with hosting the summit. The government has been stretching the fact of hosting the summit a bit. The way that the government has been going about with hosting the summit – with the usual propaganda machines in overdrive – obfuscates such an historical importance of the SADC Summit, and this precludes us from forging a progressive consciousness arising out of historical introspection. 

It would seem as if hosting the SADC is merely serving the interests of the establishment's propagandistic aims – which makes politicians live in a bubble, divorced from the concrete reality that the majority of the population faces.

To say that the central government has been overjoyed with the summit is an understatement. This has been an opportunity for them to reclaim some marks for redemption. This can be seen in the various infrastructural and transport developments and upgrades that have been undertaken in the period leading up to the summit. The capital city has witnessed some improvements to its outlook, thanks to the SADC Summit. 

At the same time, there has been delirium in regard to the numerous arrests targeted at opposition politicians and activists—the latter who want to seize the chance to voice their grievances against the country. 

After all is said and done – for the summit shall come and go – it is imperative for citizens to understand the historical significance of the SADC regional bloc, the dynamics that have changed in present times, all with a view towards creating a more liberated southern Africa. It is necessary to transcend the rhetoric of Zimbabwe's government, in order to realize the organic importance of SADC from a historical context and what the present means—especially amid the backdrop of shifting geopolitical dynamics and diplomatic standoffs.