It also said it would lobby for Zimbabwe’s exclusion from the 53-member Commonwealth bloc and for an extension of the EU sanctions this month against more members in his government.
Human rights groups have put the death toll at 17 people after an army-led crackdown following protests in mid-January. A reported 81 people have been injured from gunshot wounds and more than 1,700 people have suffered various human rights violations.
In a statement the current SADC leader, Namibia’s president Hage Geingob, said the regional bloc was briefed by Mnangagwa on the political and socio-economic situation in the country.
“Since coming to power, the new government of Zimbabwe has continued with concerted efforts to address socio-economic challenges and transform the economy, particularly through the Zimbabwe Transitional Stabilisation Programme, and to consolidate unity and peace in the country,” read a part of the statement.
The SADC pointed a finger at some internal groups, in particular NGOs, which it said have “continued with efforts to destabilise Zimbabwe”, supported by “external forces”.
Piers Pigou, the southern Africa senior consultant at the International Crisis Group, said the SADC statement was not surprising – and “predictably unimaginative”.
The bloc said it sympathised with the families of those which had lost loved ones during the protests and condemned the violence.
Taking an example from regional superpower South Africa, which has recently been vocal against the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, the SADC also said it was in support of the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe.