The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has welcomed the African Union’s renewed emphasis on preventive diplomacy, asserting that peaceful political grievances should be addressed before they escalate into conflict.
MRP president Mqondisi Moyo said the party supports calls made at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, held in Luanda, Angola, for African institutions to tackle the root causes of conflicts before they erupt into war.
The party highlighted remarks by African Union Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who told the summit on Sunday that “prevention must become our priority.”
Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, the AUchampion for peace and reconciliation in Africa, similarly urged the continent to mobilise its political, diplomatic, financial and institutional resources to “prevent conflicts before they turn into wars.”
MRP said these declarations should have practical implications for political grievances currently being pursued through peaceful means.
“Mthwakazi presents its political case peacefully. We have consistently sought political, diplomatic, regional and legal engagement rather than violence,” Moyo said.
The party noted that it had previously called on the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to address what it described as underlying political conditions in Zimbabwe before their consequences manifest through instability, repression, migration or conflict.
However, MRP acknowledged that neither the AU nor Sadc had endorsed its demand for an independent Mthwakazi state.
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“The African Union has not endorsed Mthwakazi independence, and MRP does not suggest that it has,” Moyo said.
He said the party’s immediate concern was whether there exists a peaceful regional mechanism through which the Mthwakazi political-status grievance could be substantively considered.
“MRP, therefore, asks a simple question: What peaceful regional mechanism is available through which the people of Mthwakazi can place their political-status grievance before Sadc for substantive consideration before conflict occurs?” he asked.
Moyo argued that regional organisations should not wait until violence erupts before engaging with political grievances.
“It cannot be Africa’s policy that political grievances become worthy of regional engagement only after people have died,” he said.
MRP said dialogue or mediation over the Mthwakazi question would not necessarily amount to recognition of its independence claim.
“Dialogue is not recognition. Mediation is not recognition. Examining historical grievances is not recognition,” Moyo said.
“Creating a peaceful political process does not predetermine its conclusion. It simply gives politics the opportunity to succeed before violence takes its place.”
The party urged the AU and Sadc to apply the principle of preventive diplomacy to the Mthwakazi question while it continues pursuing its political case peacefully.
“The African Union has now said that prevention must be the priority. MRP agrees,” Moyo said.
“We respectfully ask the African Union and Sadc to apply that principle while Mthwakazi continues to pursue its case peacefully.”
