PRESS STATEMENT

Condemnation of SADC Heads of State Attendance at Samia Suluhu’s Inauguration

Issued by: Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, President – Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD)

Date: 4 November 2025

The attendance of several SADC Heads of State at President @SuluhuSamia Suluhu Hassan’s inauguration ceremony in Tanzania is a tragic endorsement of electoral injustice and political hypocrisy.

The SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) itself documented grave irregularities that undermined the credibility of the Tanzanian election ranging from suppression of opposition campaigns and intimidation of voters to restrictions on freedoms of assembly and expression. These findings alone should have been sufficient reason for regional leaders to withhold their participation as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Tanzania and with democratic principles.

It is deeply disappointing that instead of demanding accountability and reform, SADC leaders chose to sanitize repression under the guise of diplomacy. This collective silence in the face of injustice erodes the moral authority of SADC and betrays the liberation ideals upon which our region was founded.

Africa deserves leaders who speak truth to power not those who gather to celebrate power consolidation while citizens bleed for democracy and human dignity.

The mother and home of liberation movements has tragically become a zone of oppression, where political loyalty outweighs the sanctity of life. It is unacceptable that leaders who claim Pan-African solidarity refuse to call one another to order when human rights are violated and elections reduced to rituals of legitimizing incumbents.

SADC must urgently reflect on its founding principles and restore integrity to its institutions. True Pan-Africanism demands courage, the courage to confront peers, defend citizens, and protect life over office.

History will not absolve silence.

Linda Tsungirirai Masarira
President, Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD)
Afrikan Feminist & Pan-African Humanist