An Afrocentric Examination of SADC's Role in Dealing with Electoral Violence in the Region: The Case of Zimbabwe's 2018 General Elections

The role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been a considerable subject of debate since its establishment due to its contribution to peace and security in the region. This is because it is seen as a panacea to the challenges facing the region. Undoubtedly SADC plays a key role in conflict resolution by either managing conflict, ending conflict or preventing it through mediation. SADC's intervention in Zimbabwe leaves much to be desired. This paper used a case study design to analyse the role of SADC in Zimbabwe's electoral violence. This paper adopted Afrocentricity due to its capacity to lend a lens from which the role of SADC in Zimbabwe can be assessed with a fresh new theoretical perspective. When such is done, it then becomes broadly understood with an encyclopedic liberatory analysis. Methodologically, the paper relied completely on a document review. The paper revealed that electoral violence in Zimbabwe remains the greatest challenge and a clear guide on the intervention strategies could save lives. Undoubtedly, there is a need for SADC to intervene because it can produce positive results and improve confidence in the SADC's conflict resolution mechanism. The paper also made several policy recommendations for SADC when it comes to intervening in Zimbabwe or any other affiliated country engulfed in electoral violence.