from SAMBULO DLAMINI in Mbabane, Eswatini
Eswatini Bureau
MBABANE, (CAJ News) – THE head of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) is in Eswatini ahead of general elections scheduled for next Friday.
Enock Kavindele, former Vice President of Zambia, is leading the mission.
Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, and Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, has deployed the SEOM.
The SADC Secretariat, led by Elias Magosi, the SADC Executive Secretary, will coordinate the SEOM and facilitate in-country deployment of observers.
Kavindele arrived on Thursday in Eswatini and undertook a courtesy call on Howard Mabuza, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
He also conducted a consultative engagement with Manoma Vusie Masango, Senior National Commissioner of the Royal Eswatini Police Service.
On Friday, Kavindele was scheduled to host an official launch of SEOM in efforts to raise awareness of the key activities for the SEOM which will be deployed to all four regions of Eswatini to observe the pre, election, and post-election phases.
The deployment of the SADC mission comes a month after elections held in Zimbabwe.
SEOM rejected the conduct of the poll that retained President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) in power.
– CAJ News