Tinotenda Hove – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday hosted a delegation from the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) at State House, a move critics slammed as a desperate search for diplomatic validation amid a raging constitutional crisis at home.

The delegation, led by special envoy and Sahrawi Foreign Minister Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, said it was in Harare to brief the President on “latest developments and ongoing United Nations peace efforts in Western Sahara.” But with Constitutional Amendment No. 3 bulldozing through Parliament this week, observers say the timing reeks of distraction politics.

Speaking after the meeting, Beissat rushed to Mnangagwa’s defense over Zimbabwe’s election to a non-permanent United Nations Security Council seat, framing it as global absolution.

“It is one of the biggest scores in the history of the General Assembly, which we think is a vote of confidence in Zimbabwe,” Beissat said.

“It is a vote of support to Zimbabwe. It is a vote against the sanctions, against those who want to impose sanctions,” he added.

The endorsement came from a government recognized by fewer than half of UN members and with no seat at the Security Council it praised. Critics called it a “useless sahwira” — a friend with no clout — propping up Harare’s sanctions narrative while the country grapples with domestic backlash over executive power grabs.

Beissat also thanked Zimbabwe for its “unwavering support” of the SADR cause. Since Independence, Harare has backed Sahrawi self-determination against Morocco, which annexed the territory in 1975. Yet 49 years on, Morocco’s control remains firm and the UN peace process stalled.

Analysts say the State House photo-op offers Mnangagwa political cover as Parliament rubber-stamps amendments critics say gut the 2013 Constitution. Meanwhile, the SADR gets a rare diplomatic platform, and Zimbabweans get nothing.