The Sunday Mail
Minister Mumbengegwi
In August 2014, President Mugabe assumed Sadc chairmanship and took over the reins at the African Union in January 2015. In a conversation with The Sunday Mail at his Munhumutapa offices yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi spoke about Zimbabwe’s relations with the rest of the world, zooming in on President Mugabe’s tenure as leader of both the Sadc and AU. We publish Minister Mumbengegwi’s views in his own words.
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There is a lot of goodwill towards Zimbabwe throughout the world.
Strangely, though, the West always want to regard themselves as the “international community” and yet they are a small minority both in terms of population and land area.
The international community consists of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
These regions contribute to the international community and Zimbabwe enjoys excellent relations with them.
In Africa, President Robert Mugabe had the honour of being elected Chair of our regional organisation, Sadc, as well as the African Union; an honour which has never been bestowed upon any other leader.
Let me explain.
Some people think the President’s chairmanship came on rotation – no, no.
It was out of the respect and iconic regard that both Sadc and the rest of Africa have for President Mugabe, the most senior leader on the African continent and the only leader in office who was a participant in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963.
He is a repository of history.
He is the institutional memory of our continent and the organisation.
Hence, this great honour was bestowed upon him deliberately.
And during his tenure, he has not disappointed as far reaching decisions have been taken under his leadership of both Sadc and the AU.
Within Sadc, President Mugabe was able to steer the entire region towards the adoption of an Industrialisation Strategy, which will span over the next 50 years.
That is a legacy which our region will always remember.
At the African Union, it was through his inspiration that Agenda 2063 – the blueprint of our continental integration programme – was adopted in January 2015 under his chairmanship.
Only last month at the AU Summit in South Africa, the first 10-year plan of Agenda 2063 was implemented and this was a historic moment, a historic decision.
Agenda 2063 is going to be adopted in five 10-year plans, and the first one was adopted under President Mugabe’s leadership. That is his legacy to the entire continent.
It should be a determining factor for the next 50 years; whether the detractors want it or not, his name has been etched in history as having steered our region and organisation to control its resources through Sadc’s Industrialisation Strategy and at African Union level, Agenda 2063.
So, Africa and Southern Africa are extremely excited that they made the right decision to accord our President double chairmanship because both regions have been put on a course, which they are going to follow for the next half century.
Only President Mugabe could have done it because of the respect he enjoys; his principled position and commitment to Africa controlling its resources.
Well, the AU and Sadc have had a good year.
Both organisations have taken historic decisions, which could only be taken under visionary leadership.
It’s not easy to persuade an entire continent and an entire region to take a path, which detractors are not in favour of.
They have exploited our resources for centuries and wanted to do so centuries more.
But now, because of President Mugabe, this is coming to an end.
Africa and Sadc have finally realised that the resources – the God-given resources on our continent, in our region – are for those who belong to Africa; for those who belong to Sadc.
Another very important decision was made at the President’s instigation.
As many will be aware, for a long time, the African Union has depended on donor-funding for its programmes.
A decision was then taken that within five years, we must have a programme of increasing our contributions, the finances of our organisation; to identify alternative ways of raising resources for our continent.
This means within the next five years, we should be able to finance 100 percent of our operational budget; at least 75 percent of our programme budget and 25 percent of our peace-keeping operations.
This is a historic decision; if we don’t finance our organisation, we cannot say we own it.
It will be owned by those who finance it.
It is not an idle saying, which has been said and repeated over centuries, that, “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
President Mugabe has shown the way out of foreign countries paying for our programmes, therefore determining our programmes and denying us ownership of what should be our own.
◆ Honourable Simbarashe Mumbengegwi is Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister, and Chairs both Sadc’s and the African Union’s Council of Ministers.
Africa Desk is a forum geared towards educating our readership on Sadc and African Union issues, particularly during President Mugabe’s Chairmanship of both organisations.
