Walter Mzembi has raised a poignant question: Where is the empathy and brotherhood among SADC leaders when it comes to Nicole Chabata, a minor still languishing in the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Zimbabwe?
The recent gathering of SADC presidents for the 44th Summit, followed by another meeting in China at the FOCAC summit, has seen these leaders come and go without any intervention or inquiry into Nicole’s case.
Despite meeting President Mnangagwa multiple times since her arrest, they’ve shown little concern about her condition, even as she remains imprisoned, unable to prepare for her critical O-Level exams.
Mzembi points out the irony of Nicole’s arrest on the Day of the African Child, a day meant to honor the memory of the Soweto Uprising, where students were brutally repressed under apartheid.
Among those who attended the summits was Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the only female leader in the male-dominated club, and a figure who Mzembi believes should have championed Nicole’s case, particularly as a mother and matriarch.
Yet, she too left without making a stand for the detained schoolgirl.
Other leaders, such as Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who was reportedly impressed by President Mnangagwa’s seven-star Precabe Farm during his visit, also failed to speak up for Nicole. Mzembi argues that the founding fathers of SADC, many of whom were freedom fighters and former prisoners, would not have ignored Nicole’s plight.
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He invokes the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison, and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Mandela’s mentee, who is now seemingly preoccupied with internal issues rather than the fate of a Zimbabwean minor he left behind bars.
Mzembi highlights the personal history of President Mnangagwa, who himself spent a decade in prison as a minor, narrowly escaping the death penalty. He argues that Mnangagwa, of all people, should understand the psychological toll of prison on a young mind, yet his response has been one of “unforgiveness,” hardened by his own experiences behind bars.
Mzembi reflects on how he has personally endured seven years in exile, grappling with similar feelings of abandonment.
Mzembi’s message to the SADC leaders is clear: where is the solidarity that once defined this regional bloc? Why have they abandoned their duty to protect the vulnerable, especially a child who should be experiencing the fullness of her youth instead of enduring the harsh realities of adult prison life?
He calls for compassion and action from Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, urging her to intervene and advocate for Nicole’s release.
Mzembi’s words are a powerful reminder that while the leaders enjoy their tours and summits, real lives hang in the balance.
Nicole Chabata’s childhood and future are slipping away, and the silence of those in power speaks volumes. It is a call to remember the values of empathy, justice, and responsibility that once defined SADC’s founding fathers and to act now before it is too late.
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