By Iommie Chiwalo
While others feel any activity to the contrary is a sabotage to Lazarus Chakwera’s ascension, the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), says is set with its planned activities, for the attention of the delegates to the forthcoming Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) summit.
The summit is scheduled to take place in the Capital, Lilongwe from Monday, 9th – Thursday, 19th August, 2021.
According to CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, his organisation is geared to bring to the attention of the SADC delegates, issues that are affecting the region in general, and Malawi in particular.
He told the press in Lilongwe that during this 47th SADC summit, CDEDI will lead like-minded local, regional, and international advocacy institutions, as well as individual activists, in advocating, and lobbying for a number of issues, affecting Africa in general, and the SADC member countries in particular.
Among others, Namiwa says CDEDI will put to light the deteriorating human rights situation in Malawi, whose leader, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, is the in-coming Chair of SADC.
“Will also bring to attention the land crisis in Malawi, specifically in Thyolo and Mulanje districts, and in other parts of the country, where vast pieces of this natural resource, were snatched away from the locals by some private investors, through dubious means,” he says.
As if that is not enough, CDEDI, according to Namiwa is also expected to highlight the concerns raised by the Rwandan Refugees and asylum seekers, who are being hosted by Malawi, a country that has recently signed a pact with Rwanda.
“This pact, is likely to make Malawi contravene some of the international peace protocols, the country signed and promised to abide by, given Rwanda’s tendency of hunting down its nationals that fled the country due to political persecution,” he narrates.
Namiwa says the deligates should also expect to be reminded the situation in Mozambique, where SADC must ensure that foreign elements should not be allowed, and that the country’s mineral and natural resources, together with the citizens must be protected.
“Above all SADC must address youth unemployment, which has reached crisis levels, and has proven to be a looming crisis, if it is not nipped in the bud,” he says.
On how such advocacy activities would be achieved, Namiwa disclosed that there will be joint press briefings with some like-minded civil society organisations, and individual activists as well as presentation of petitions and letters to the SADC secretariat.
“Not only that, but will also be hoisting and display of placards and banners in strategic places, that would make it possible for both the delegates and the media covering the summit, to capture the messages fully,” he says.
He said that the activities will be held randomly, during the summit period and that as a law-abiding organization, CDEDI already wrote the Lilongwe City Council (LCC), on August 2, 2021, to notify them about the activities that we intend to carry out.
However CDEDI is yet to receive an official acknowledgement of its notice to the Lilongwe City Assembly.
“Nonetheless, CDEDI will proceed with its planned activities, since it is our constitutional right to do so and we are not surprised with the LCC’s deliberate silence, as such behaviour validates our concern on Malawi’s worsening human rights situation, which is one of the issues we have picked on Malawi, to be put to the attention of the delegates to the SADC summit, so that a red flag should be raised on the same,”
