By George Swarei
A Commonwealth Assessment Mission will be in Zimbabwe from 12 to 18 November 2022, to assess the progress that the country has made following its 2018 application to rejoin the organisation.
The Mission, led by Assistant Secretary General Professor Luis Franceschi is coming to Zimbabwe for the third time.
In a press statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Frederick Shava said the visit is in line with Zimbabwe’s re-engagement thrust that seeks to reset and rekindle its foreign relations in order to create a conducive and supportive environment for the successful implementation of the National Development Strategy 1 and the realisation of Vision 2030.
During the visit, the Mission will meet the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and hold discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministers and senior government officials. It will also engage the media and other stakeholders on matters of interest to the organisation.
Having joined the Commonwealth in 1980, Zimbabwe was suspended from the association in 2002 on allegations of gross human rights violations, a collapse of rule of law and a shrinking democratic space. The country eventually left the Commonwealth in 2003.
Zimbabwe’s case created an impasse that threatened to split the Commonwealth along racial lines, with Southern African countries strongly arguing that Zimbabwe should be readmitted immediately.
The then South African president, Thabo Mbeki, argued that Zimbabwe’s continued suspension was proving counter-productive and should be lifted immediately.
Mbeki eventually bowed to the majority view, though only after Tony Blair, the then British Premier appeared to exert pressure on the South African leader to give way by allowing officials to identify publicly who was blocking a deal.
Commonwealth heads had hoped the Zimbabwe issue could be resolved quickly, to prevent the summit’s important agenda on development, world trade and the HIV/Aids crisis from being hijacked.
However, after some negotiations and heated debates, the body reached a compromise at its Nigeria summit in 2003, where a seven-nation panel was set up to monitor Zimbabwe’s progress towards improved democratic values.
According to the Commonwealth, to re-join, Zimbabwe must demonstrate compliance with the fundamental values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy and rule of law plus protection of human rights such as freedom of expression.
The membership process requires an informal assessment to be undertaken by representatives of the Secretary-General, followed by consultations with other Commonwealth countries.
