SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s quiet visit to Zimbabwe on Sunday for a private meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at Precabe Farm in Kwekwe has sparked controversy and raised questions over secrecy and diplomatic transparency.
While the meeting was officially framed as a discussion on bilateral cooperation and economic ties, the lack of transparency, the private setting, and the reported presence of controversial businessmen have triggered political backlash in both Zimbabwe and South Africa, with critics accusing the leaders of engaging in opaque “backdoor diplomacy” on sensitive regional issues.
According to reports, Ramaphosa and Mnangagwa discussed a range of issues aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries. Ramaphosa’s office also confirmed that the talks focused on matters of mutual and bilateral interest, although no further details were released.
The visit, however, drew sharp criticism, particularly from South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA). Party spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation Ryan Smith condemned the engagement, linking it to Zimbabwe’s political direction and alleged democratic backsliding.
He accused Zanu PF of attempting to entrench authoritarian rule through the recently gazetted Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3.
He accused Zanu PF of attempting to entrench authoritarian rule through the recently gazetted Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3.
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Smith said South Africa’s failure to confront human rights abuses in the region had contributed to migration pressures and growing social tensions at home.
“Zimbabwe’s democratic backslide is the sole reason for the immigration crisis South Africa has been subjected to since the late 90s, which places a tremendous burden on civic and social services, and stokes violent societal division in our country,” he said.
Smith further accused the African National Congress of diplomatic inconsistency and political opportunism, saying it selectively engages on human rights issues for political gain.
He said the DA also “rejects the ANC’s attempts to openly fraternise” with Mnangagwa while denying the “lived reality of millions of persecuted Zimbabweans who live in international limbo as a result”.
“It is unsustainable and deeply unprincipled for the ANC to maintain the status quo of democratic capture on the African continent,” Smith said.
In Zimbabwe, reports suggested Ramaphosa’s visit may have been aimed at persuading Mnangagwa to abandon controversial constitutional amendments linked to efforts to extend his stay in power beyond current limits — commonly referred to by critics as the “2030 agenda”.
Opposition figures and civil society actors also raised concerns, accusing both governments of conducting secretive political negotiations on a matter with regional implications.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu secretary-general Mbuso Fuzwayo said the private nature of the meeting raised suspicion.
“It is not surprising to have the conflation. Everything has been privatised, and key decisions are done by friends or those the President makes deals with,” he said.
Zapu Bulawayo secretary Vivian Siziba questioned the symbolism of hosting a foreign head of state at a private residence alongside non-state actors.
“But why should the whole State President be received in private properties and moreover the Zimbabwe president be in the company of non-state actors like Wicknell Chivayo whose assets have been frozen?”
Freedom Alliance leader Presia Ngulube said the visit appeared politically strategic, arguing that Mnangagwa may be attempting to project regional legitimacy amid criticism over governance and succession debates.
“The unclear circumstances around the visit can be viewed as an attempt to consolidate patronage networks and counter rising isolation,” she said.
“The unclear circumstances around the Ramaphosa visit to Mnangagwa’s farm can be viewed as the buying of patronage. By being seen with President Ramaphosa, Mnangagwa is trying to signal that he is still accepted in the Sadc region despite huge criticism,” she said.