South Africa faces a daunting array of domestic challenges—from rampant unemployment to deep-seated corruption and rising crime. Yet even as these pressures test its social and economic fabric, the country has demonstrated that it remains capable of principled action on the international stage. Its decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice over alleged atrocities in Gaza underscores a commitment to a foreign policy rooted in human rights and the rule of law, a vision inspired by Nelson Mandela.
However, Mandela’s legacy calls for attention not only to distant conflicts but also to challenges closer to home. South Africa cannot afford to ignore the unfolding crisis in Zimbabwe. Events north of the Limpopo have direct and profound implications for South Africa’s stability, economy, and role as a regional leader.
For over two decades, Zimbabwe has struggled through recurring crises, largely driven not by misfortune but by entrenched elite power struggles, state capture, and systemic corruption. Since the disputed 2023 elections, the country has entered an even more perilous phase. The ruling Zanu-PF party has consolidated near-total control through a combination of political repression, legislative manipulation, and co-option of key actors. This strategy has effectively blocked avenues for democratic change.
If Zimbabwe continues on this trajectory, South Africa will soon contend with the fallout of a fully entrenched and emboldened authoritarian kleptocracy on its doorstep. The consequences could dwarf the economic spillovers, migration pressures, and social tensions that South Africa has experienced since 1999.
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) emerged as a credible democratic alternative ahead of the 2023 elections, offering hope to millions. Yet, following an election widely regarded as rigged, the opposition was systematically weakened from within. Nelson Chamisa’s abrupt resignation in early 2024 left millions politically adrift, while other progressive formations were co-opted into President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Political Actors Dialogue—a token platform that traded perks for silence.
South Africa Can No Longer Afford to Overlook Zimbabwe’s Accelerating Decline
Civil society has fared no better. The Private Voluntary Organisations Bill, a draconian law, was passed to strangle independent NGOs and suppress dissent. By early 2024, the regime had achieved near-total dominance: activists faced harassment, opposition parties fragmented, and NGOs were criminalised. The fragile hope that followed Robert Mugabe’s ouster in 2017 has largely vanished.
Zimbabwe’s crisis is not merely political—it is rooted in state capture and institutionalised looting. Control over key resources such as gold, diamonds, and lithium has enriched a narrow elite linked to the presidency while hollowing out the state. Hyperinflation and a collapsing currency have rendered basic necessities like food, housing, and healthcare unattainable for ordinary families. The formal economy has nearly collapsed, forcing millions into precarious informal work. Teachers, nurses, and soldiers live in poverty, while major infrastructure projects serve as vehicles for corruption, saddling future generations with debt.
Mnangagwa’s rise in 2017 was enabled by the military, yet he soon turned on his backers. Between 2019 and 2021, more than 60 senior officers died under suspicious circumstances, and even Vice President Constantino Chiwenga narrowly survived an assassination attempt. Governance has become a matter of personal survival rather than national interest. Now, with the Zanu-PF conference endorsing term extensions, Mnangagwa is pushing to remain in power beyond the constitutional 2028 limit, threatening to permanently shut the door on democratic change.
For South Africa, Zimbabwe’s descent is not an abstract concern. Millions of Zimbabweans live and work in South Africa, contributing significantly to agriculture, construction, and urban services. Yet their presence has also strained public services, housing, and employment opportunities, occasionally fueling xenophobic tensions. Should Zimbabwe continue its slide, South Africa will face heightened migration pressures, expanded cross-border criminal networks, and potential regional instability if elite factionalism or military unrest erupts.
A stable, democratic Zimbabwe is therefore in South Africa’s national interest. Citizens and civil society in Zimbabwe are calling for a national reset: Mnangagwa’s resignation, enforcement of term limits, credible elections, genuine dialogue, and the restoration of constitutionalism. Achieving these reforms will require robust regional solidarity.
South Africa, as Zimbabwe’s largest trading partner and historical ally, wields significant influence. It cannot repeat the failed policy of “quiet diplomacy” that allowed Mugabe’s entrenchment. Silence today would be complicity tomorrow. Political parties, business leaders, religious communities, and civil society in South Africa must speak with a unified voice, while Sadc should be pressured to tie economic and diplomatic engagement to concrete democratic benchmarks.
Zimbabwe stands at a crossroads: it can be a partner in regional prosperity or a persistent source of crisis. Its citizens are beginning to answer that question, but they need regional support. South Africa faces a parallel choice: to act decisively in support of democracy or to bear the cascading consequences of a neighbor lost to authoritarian kleptocracy.
As South African leaders often say, “African solutions to African problems” is more than a slogan—Zimbabwe is the ultimate test. Pretoria’s response will reveal whether this principle is mere rhetoric or the foundation of a strategic, principled foreign policy.
In the meantime, Zimbabwean activist Tinashe Madondo has launched a petition demanding Mnangagwa’s resignation to end state capture—a call that deserves the attention and backing of all South Africans who value democracy, stability, and regional prosperity.
Source- Bulawayo24
