Zambia’s foreign minister speaks on Mnangagwa remarks

By Political Correspondent

ZAMBIA has said it is taking a “diplomatic look” at remarks made by President Emmerson Mnangagwa but downplayed claims of a deepening rift between the neighbouring countries.

Mnangagwa recently claimed that the United States was “consolidating its power” in Zambia through increased security and financial aid, which he suggested aims to isolate Zimbabwe.

The comments were seen as reflective of Harare’s increasing frustration with the Lusaka government.

Mnangagwa made the remarks while appealing for support from Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of an investment summit in St. Petersburg.

However, in a recent interview with Diamond TV’s ‘This Day’ programme, foreign affairs minister, Mulumbo Haimbe, said suggestions that “Zambia and Zimbabwe have reached a cross-roads” were wide of the mark.

“ … regarding the comments that have been attributed to his excellency President Mnangagwa in Russia, we are taking a diplomatic look at that to try and ascertain what was the basis of those comments if they were made in the context that social media and other platforms are suggesting.”

He added, “If indeed we are able to ascertain the position, there are processes which are followed.

“We are part of the regional body SADC, we are part of the AU and therefore any position that we take in relation to those alleged comments would have to be tempered by our wider relations in SADC and the African Union.

“But that is not to say that Zambia and Zimbabwe have reached a cross-roads.”

In Harare, the government also insisted there was no rift between the SADC countries, with information minister Jenfan Muswere telling a post-cabinet media briefing that, “We are Siamese twins.

Zambia’s top diplomat echoed the same sentiments, saying, “We have long standing relations with our neighbouring country Zimbabwe; we were born from the same mother so to speak.”

“I was in Harare (recently) and we were able to have a very successful joint permanent commission for cooperation and a number of MOUs were signed to deepen that relationship.”

He added, “You’d also have seen very recently many images that show the two presidents of our great republics interacting with each other on the international scene.

“Very recently, we hosted the KAZA summit in Livingstone and President Mnangagwa from Zimbabwe was present there and people could see the relations between the two countries.”

However, relations between the SADC neighbours have been tense since Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema took office.

The situation worsened after Nevers Mumba, head of the SADC Electoral Observer Mission to Zimbabwe, declared Zimbabwe’s August 23, 2023 elections neither free nor fair.

The report was met with anger from some members of Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu PF and rejected by government officials.

President Hichilema, who has close ties with Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, appointed Mumba to the observer mission.