MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamaisa has urged the nation to converge and confront government’s brutality and “barbarism” if their concerns are to be heard.
Chamisa made the call following recent demolitions of illegal vending structures in Harare and Chitungwiza which left thousands of informally employed people with no source of income.
The government, together with the Zimbabwe Republic Politice and Harare City Council demolished vending sites in Mbare and Chitungwiza, a move that received wide condemnation.
The opposition leader, Chamisa , said the government must create employment for the people first before it can destroy their survival means.
“They don’t even make an effort to create jobs and when people try to survive peacefully and patriotically, they go after them. It is cruel, heartless, irresponsible and incapable leadership.
“Central government is inflicting terror on the people while putting on the mask of the city council,” Chamisa said.
He said confronted by this reality, it is within the people’s right to converge and call the government to order.
“We can get angry and condemn this, but the issue is it is now time for people’s convergence to end all this. It is no longer about political parties when our humanity and dignity is under attack.
“There is no better time to converge than now. People can’t wait for any other signal. The oppressors are giving us a signal. This is a call for citizens to converge and a new consensus to save ourselves. You cannot finish poverty by finishing the poor,” he said.
Chamisa accused the government of delibidating with people’s lives and not showing empathy towards their plights.
He added that employment creation should be at the core of the government’s plan, which he said, it instead takes the issues like comedy.
.“That is the problem when the government is a Twabam government and does not care about its own people. Never expect serious leadership from a Twabam government that plays comedy with people’s lives.
“People are suffering and crying for help, yet you continue inflicting more pain. It’s a pity we don’t control that. If our people’s mayor (Jacob Mafume) and people’s councillors were there and not recalled, we would have ordered them to stop this madness,” he added.
Chamisa warned that that government risks getting an undesirable reply from the people if it continues with its conformational approach.
“It is not wise for authorities to provoke people. It’s not always that provocation will not get a reply, one day it will get a reply. It is not right and why always target May, June and July? Murambatsvina (2005) was around this time; demolitions last were also around this time as if it is demonic and cultic that you have to inflict pain during this period of time when it is winter,” he warned.
The MDC-T led council recently applauded the demolitions saying residents were happy and can now live happily.
“Mbare clean up and removal of illegal structures progressed well today (Saturday). Mbare residents expressed joy that they can now live in peace,” the council said on it’s Twitter page.
