New parties emerge from Southern Africa
Political parties in Afriça are taking a new turn
There is a swift change in Southern Africa where new political parties are taking over from liberation parties.
Former Zimbabwean Tourism minister Walter Mzembi said that most liberation parties have come to the end of their shelf life.
He said that political parties in this instance do expire like the human life leading them and unless they seek to regenerate and not fear renewal they surely will die.
His remarks came after there was change of power in Botswana where the new leader Duma Boko was from the opposition taking over from President Masisi.
Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) president Nelson Chamisa praised the democratic transition in Botswana describing it as a signal.
In 2021 Zambia changed the government and voted in Hakainde Hichilema from the opposition and in 2020 Malawi voted Lazarus Chakwera.
There is a disputed election in Mozambique and the people have demonstrated in the streets for weeks against the outcome of the election. Daniel Chapo from the Frelimo party was declared winner but the voters are convinced that the election was stolen.
Lesotho is another country that changed its government recently all opposition figures like Julius Malema and Nelson Chamisa were invited to the inauguration ceremony just like Botswana.
In South Africa the ANC lost its majority and was forced to form a Government of National Unity.
Zimbabweans take this change as a sign that there will be new leaders in the election scheduled for 2028.
Zimbabwe held a disputed election in 2023 and most Zimbabweans are hoping to see change in the near future.
Zimbabweans are hoping for SADC to intervene in the next election because ZEC has failed to uphold election standards.
The opposition in Zimbabwe has blamed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for rigging elections in favour of ZANU PF.
The change that was seen in Botswana can also happen in Zimbabwe when people go out and vote.
The SADC region has now new leaders from the opposition taking over from liberation parties.
Walter Mzembi stressed that a mordenisation agenda steeped in founding values will bring to the fore a successor cadreship. A key word underpinning the survival of liberation movements shall be meritocracy.
