Source: When a leader doesn’t sympathize with his own people’s tragedy, no one else in the region does
If you don’t love your own, no one else will.
There is a profound, aching betrayal in watching regional diplomacy play out while a nation bleeds.
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Yesterday in Durban, as the SADC Heads of State and Government Summit convened, the silence surrounding the Lake Kariba ferry disaster was deafening.
A tragedy of catastrophic proportions—which has so far claimed 93 lives—was met with an astonishing lack of formal acknowledgment from the region’s highest gathering.
A disaster of this magnitude naturally should have stopped proceedings in their tracks.
It should have compelled gathered leaders to observe at least a minute of silence to honor those innocent lives lost.
As the people of Zimbabwe, we expected the incoming SADC chairman, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, to utter words of comfort during his opening address.
Instead, he chose to congratulate Zimbabwe on its election to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
This total detachment exposes a painful reality about regional governance.
Those in power remain obsessed with the trappings of political prestige—applauding diplomatic seats and summit handovers—while turning a blind eye to the horrific deaths of poor, rural citizens drowning in the waters of Kariba.
But we cannot simply place the blame on neighboring heads of state.
Charity, after all, begins at home.
What did our own leader say about this national catastrophe when given the regional platform in Durban?
Handing over the SADC chairmanship, he offered nothing.
Nowhere in his speech was there a single mention of the disaster unfolding in his own country.
While Zimbabwe was plunged into deep mourning, our head of state opted to stick to well-worn scripts on regional economic development, mineral value-addition, and raw export transitions—lofty concepts that rarely bring tangible comfort to everyday citizens struggling to survive.
Even back home, the response spoke volumes.
Immediately following the accident, our leader did not travel to the shores of Kariba to console the grieving families or assess the rescue and recovery efforts firsthand—as is the custom the world over.
Instead, he prioritized attending a Johane Masowe Chishanu apostolic gathering at the Gwanzura Shrine in Harare, before flying off to Durban for the SADC Summit.
When a leader demonstrates such apparent indifference toward a tragedy striking his own household, it is hardly surprising that foreign leaders follow suit.
If, during my mother’s passing last October, I had chosen to attend business meetings and go partying instead, I could hardly expect anyone else to treat my loss with the gravity it deserved.
When a leader doesn’t sympathize with his own people’s tragedy, no one else in the region does.
The silence in Durban was not just an omission; it was a mirror reflecting our own government’s priorities.
When statecraft completely detached from human suffering becomes the norm, the ordinary citizen is left entirely alone.
Pain belongs to the vulnerable.
Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to contact him on +263715667700 or mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com
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