Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) President Nelson Chamisa has given President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s national dialogue a chance before unleashing a typical rollercoaster protest across the country a move he said is aimed at compelling the 76-year-old Zanu PF leader to come to the negotiation table.
Chamisa said the country needs dialogue urgently as the living conditions continue to deteriorate amid economic collapse as prices of basic commodities continue to skyrocket on the back of disputed elections which spilled in the constitutional court with the 41-year-old former minister’s application dismissed for lack of evidence.
Speaking to Voice of America’s Studio 7 on Monday night, Chamisa insisted that the July 2018 election is still an open chapter whose results remain contested in the political spheres although the constitutional court upheld Mnangagwa’s victory whose result Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) revised more than twice.
“The dialogue that we want is that which will bring all hands on the deck to look into what happened on the 30th of July 2018’s general elections. What we have seen is that (Mnangagwa) do not want to talk but he will come. We are just finishing our congress thereafter we will be focusing on working to improve the livelihoods of our people,” he said.
The opposition which is currently seized with its internal electoral processes ahead of its fifth elective congress slated for this May, is understood to be planning to roll mass protests across the country to compel the Zanu PF led government to come on the dialogue table.
Chamisa lashed at Mnangagwa saying Robert Mugabe’s successor is not Father Christmas who can just serve out political positions charging that positions should not be the focus.
“One person cannot make things work in a country. Mnangagwa is not Father Christmas, he is not baba Harare. He is not father Zimbabwe who just dish out positions. People voted for us and for change therefore their will must be respected. We must sit down and discuss how we should return the country to the majority rule.
“I was not elected by the people to go into parliament but to lead people in restoring their dignity through improving the economy and political freedom of the nation. The issue is not about positions but people’s welfares,” Chamisa said.
Mnangagwa called for dialogue mid-January 2019 after the popular stay away protest brought the country to a halt with security forces unleashed on civilians leaving a trail of bloodshed.
Chamisa however, snubbed the dialogue call citing that Mnangagwa was not fit to convene a dialogue let alone coming up with point of references for the discussions.
In response, Mnangagwa said he observed Chamisa’s democratic right not to be part of the dialogue which other political players attended but later on significant opposition leaders like Noah Manyika and Nkosana Moyo among others pulled off.
