6 Zimbabwean government shall form a part of the local laws unless parliament passes a law making the agreement part of the laws of Zimbabwe.” What this means is that, where countries have agreed to, for example, coming up with principles and guidelines to govern democratic elections, as is the case with SADC, the SADC member states cannot take the government of Zimbabwe to task over flouting the same principles as they are not binding with regards to the country’s constitution. This presents difficulties in light of efforts by neighbouring countries to try and assist in managing the country’s crisis. Prospects for constructive management of conflict Recent developments in Zimbabwe, where the MDC and Zanu-PF have gotten down to the negotiation table indicate the abundant prospects that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have put in place for effective conflict management. That Zimbabwe is part to the regional body has provided leverage within the community to push for talks aimed at resolving the conflict in Zimbabwe. Speaking during the second reading of the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 18, Zimbabwe Minister for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Patrick Chinamasa expressed his government’s commitment to “upholding” the statutes contained in the various SADC protocols that Zimbabwe is signatory to. He specifically mentioned the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. Such frameworks provide the necessary platform for SADC member countries to intervene and mediate on post election conflicts or any other conflicts thereof. It should be noted here that the fact that Zimbabwe is a member of SADC provides an opportunity for other countries to intervene in its domestic affairs through the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security on the understanding that the crisis can be a threat to regional peace. Festus Mogae, the Botswana President, in justifying the need to intervene in the Zimbabwe crisis argued that it is not lack of rains that posed threat to peace and stability in Southern Africa, but “it is a drought of good governance that is much more difficult because you have neighbours like Zimbabwe." So the existence of neighbours who fully understand the extent and nature of the Zimbabwe crisis provides prospects for effective management of the crisis. Recent events in the country have been