Southern African Development Community and the military-led transition in Zimbabwe.

Abstract

The study sought to research on how military-led transition may lead to democracy. Regional bodies such as SADC may be instrumental in the democratization process. Between 2008 and 2017, the Zimbabwe military was often involved in politics resulting in alternation of power in November 2017. In order to unravel this paradox, a qualitative research design informed by a constructivist philosophical world view was employed. Data was collected from one hundred participants through interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. Respondents were drawn from the military, politicians, academia, embassies and general public through purposive and snowballing sampling. The study established that when an authoritarian leader is removed from power, the democraticness of his removal may be eclipsed by the general desire of the nation state to see such a leader gone. In 2017, military intervention in Zimbabwean politics did not lead to democracy but to liberalisation though with evidence of reversion to autocracy but the study is optimistic that democracy will eventually come after two or three elections. Having also been frustrated by Mugabe stayism as well as authoritarianism and buoyed by snippets of liberalization, SADC generally supported the military-led transition in Zimbabwe in 2017. The study concluded that power politics and national interests are more important than democracy in international relations. It is therefore recommended that SADC and the international community walk the talk on democracy regardless of the moral benefits to the contrary