Tinotenda Hove -The Action Democratic Movement (ADM) on Wednesday issued a strongly worded regional policy statement urging the Southern African Development Community to take decisive action over Zimbabwe’s deepening political and economic challenges, warning that continued inaction could destabilise the wider Southern African region.

Addressing “fellow Zimbabweans, citizens of Southern Africa, and SADC leaders,” the movement said the region is facing mounting pressure driven by interconnected problems including migration, unemployment, poverty and social instability.

“The rising tensions across Southern Africa… are not isolated developments,” ADM said. “They are interconnected signals of a regional system under strain, requiring urgent, collective, and principled intervention.”

The opposition group argued that crises within one country inevitably spill across borders, particularly when governance and economic systems falter over time.

“When a nation experiences sustained economic and governance collapse, the consequences do not remain confined within its borders,” the statement read. “The cost of inaction is not neutrality—it is complicity in the gradual destabilisation of the region.”

ADM took aim at what it described as reluctance among regional leaders to hold each other accountable, saying this has weakened SADC’s credibility.

“The continued hesitancy by regional leadership to hold one another accountable has created fertile ground for recurring crises,” the party said. “A culture of political accommodation… has weakened the moral authority of SADC as a guarantor of regional stability, democracy, and justice.”

While stressing that it was not advocating confrontation, ADM called for introspection and a return to the bloc’s founding principles.
“This is not a call for confrontation, but for courageous introspection,” the statement said. “The founding ethos of SADC was never intended to be a shield for governance failures.”

Zimbabwe was singled out as a central concern, with ADM linking regional migration trends—particularly into South Africa—to unresolved internal challenges.

“Citizens do not abandon their homeland lightly,” ADM noted. “They are compelled by circumstances that demand honest regional acknowledgment and coordinated solutions.”
The movement proposed a series of measures it believes SADC should adopt, including stronger election oversight, a formal peer-review system among member states, and coordinated economic recovery programmes.

“SADC must enhance its mechanisms for election observation… ensuring that electoral processes are transparent, credible, and beyond reproach,” ADM said. “Quiet diplomacy must evolve into effective diplomacy.”
It also called for a structured accountability framework within the bloc. “A formalised, rules-based peer accountability framework should be established… without fear or favour,” the statement added.

On economic issues, ADM urged regional intervention to stabilise struggling economies. “SADC should lead coordinated economic recovery strategies… focusing on job creation, industrial revival, and sustainable development to reduce forced migration.”

The group further pushed for a unified regional stance against xenophobia. “Migrants are not adversaries; they are human beings navigating shared regional hardships,” ADM said. “Ubuntu… must guide both policy and public discourse.”

In addition, the movement appealed for a shift in political leadership culture. “The region must recommit to a leadership ethos grounded in service rather than self-preservation,” it said.
ADM also addressed citizens across the region, warning against social divisions driven by economic frustration.

“Social cohesion cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political failure,” the statement said. “The frustration felt by communities is legitimate, but it must be directed toward systemic reform, not toward vulnerable populations.”

Directing a message to Zimbabweans, the movement urged calm and unity. “Remain peaceful, united, and resolute in the pursuit of democratic renewal, economic recovery, and national dignity,” ADM said.

To regional leaders, ADM issued a pointed warning: “History will render its judgment not on the basis of statements issued, but on actions taken.”

“The region stands at a crossroads,” the statement concluded. “The time has come to reclaim the founding ideals of SADC… and to translate them into decisive, coordinated action.”