Former Zambian vice president Dr Nevers Mumba has revealed the instruction he was given by President Hakainde Hichilema when came to observe Zimbabwe’s just ended elections.
Speaking in televised interview with Gravazio Zulu on ZNBC, Dr Mumba said when he was sent as head of Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer mission team he said he was given the agenda to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
Dr Mumba said Zimbabweans know that he and his team attempted to give them a free, fair and credible election
He said at first, when he was deployed he thought he was going to be given a hand full of instructions, but to his surprise, there was only one instruction he was given.
“Hichilema told me only one thing; “I need nothing from you but to give Zimbabweans a free, fair and credible election,” he says.
Dr Mumba emphasized that he did not go to Zimbabwe on behalf of Zambia, but SADC:
“I didn’t go to Zimbabwe as a Zambian, I took the SADC instrument. If Zimbabwe has a problem with the report, they must go to SADC.
“The report we released is now the most read and viewed report in the history of SADC. I went there to represent the SADC observer mission, not Zambia.”
Meanwhile, Dr Mumba is reportedly being attacked by some Zimbabwean and ZANU PF leaders for saying the election fell in terms of SADC guidelines governing democratic elections.
As head of mission, he presented a report which highlights the shortcomings of the Zimbabwean electoral process which need to be addressed in future.
However, the government of Zimbabwe or ZANU PF seems to have been offended by that, and have come out guns blazing against Mumba.
Zwnews