The executive director for Heal Zimbabwe, Rashid Mahiya, has said former president Rupiah Banda has set a precedent to other current African leaders that there can be a smooth transition of power when a sitting president loses an election.
Mahiya said as Zimbabwe goes to the polls on July 31, 2013, the spotlight would be on President Robert Mugabe to ensure free and fair elections as exemplified by Zambia’s 2011 polls. He said African presidents had the responsibility ensure peaceful transitions of power after elections, and should not be afraid of stepping down if defeated.
There is, however, an unfortunate trend of prosecuting former African presidents, says Mahiya, which is partly responsible for their resistance to democratic transitions, creating dictators who cling to power and ultimately impede development on the continent.
Referring to the current cases against former Zambian president Rupiah Banda by the Patrotic Front (PF) government, Mahiya said some African presidents such as Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe were reluctant to hand over power because of the persecution and prosecution that would follow them as a result of the actions committed while in office.
After losing the 2011 elections Rupiah Banda performed a smooth hand over of power to Michael Sata, but the PF government has slapped numerous charges on the former president on criminal allegations that are yet to be proved.
Speaking during an interview, Mahiya said prosecuting former presidents after they leave power was a growing trend in Africa, but it was discouraging sitting presidents from handing over power even when one lost an election.
He said Zambia’s Rupiah Banda was a good example to Africa because he showed that there could be a smooth hand over of power when a sitting loses an election. Mahiya said African leaders must prepare for transitions while in office to avoid conflicts after they lose power.
“This is the problem that we have in Zimbabwe. It seems Mugabe is scared of handing over power realizing the wrongs that he has done and staying as president is the best thing because of the prosecution he would go through if he leaves the presidency. Some African presidents remain in power because of their transgressions while in office. What we learn from what happened in Zambia’s 2011 elections is that there can be transfer of power after an election and this is what Zimbabwe has to learn,” he said.
He said the biggest challenge to democracy in Africa was the transfer of power from the loser to the winner especially when the loser is the incumbent and this is because of the consequence of losing power.
Mahiya said some African presidents refuse the hand over power because they are always thinking about the arrests and other forms of harassment after losing power.
“As Africans, don’t we think those presidents in America, Britain and other developed countries have transgressions they committed while in office and yet they are never arrested and harassed after they leave power. We understand our African politicians are problematic especially when they are in power, but we need to guarantee them that they are safe when they leave power.
Heal Zimbabwe is a Harare based non-governmental (NGO) organisation focused on reconciling and healing victims of political violence.
The NGO has worked with Zimbabweans who lost relatives in the 2008 election violence where it empowered families of victims with services such as income generating activities.
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