These are the worst of times to be an opposition party in SADC.
It might also turn out to the best.
Ruling and opposition parties in several SADC countries will no doubt be following events in Zimbabwe with keen but anxious interest.
A lot rides on what happens in that country.
There's more to this story
But to keep reading, we need you to subscribe.
Investigative journalism is an indispensable part of a healthy society, but it's also expensive to produce. We are reliant on subscriptions to fund our work, and while you can enjoy most of our stories for free, a small number of premium features are reserved for subscribers.
You can subscribe for one week, a month or a full year - the choice is yours.
Save 77% on an annual subscription. Click here to find out how.
Existing subscribers can log in to keep reading here.