Self-exiled former cabinet minister, Walter Mzembi has taken a swipe at both the ruling Zanu-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for lacking sincerity to tackle the current economic challenges facing the country.
Mzembi who is now based in South Africa penned a statement in which he spoke about the urgent need for both President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa to dialogue and take Zimbabwe out of the economic mess the country finds itself in.
Since the July 2018 elections, the socio-economic and political situation has dwindled as Chamisa has failed to recognize Mnangagwa as a legitimate President of the republic alleging that he is a beneficiary of a flawed election system.
Mzembi said Mnangagwa and Chamisa are unlike former President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, (both late), who formed the Government of National Unity (GNU) after a total collapse in 2008 and bloody elections that took place the same year.
Mnangagwa has on several occasions called on his nemesis to join the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), a conglomerate of parties that participated in the July 2018 elections.
However, Chamisa has turned him down saying he will only join if the legitimacy question is addressed.
Mzembi said such behaviour only makes it worse for suffering Zimbabweans.
“The tragedy of the current meltdown in Zimbabwe and its current actors from both Zanu-PF and MDC is that unlike our 2009 scenario led by Robert Gabriel Mugabe and Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, it is difficult to sense the humility and empathy for the immense suffering of our people that is required to nudge the gladiators to negotiations,” he said.
The former Tourism Minister said the two ought to sit down for dialogue and take notes from the Unity Accord and the GNU.
“What can we, in pursuit of solutions to the current crisis, learn from the ZanuPF-Zapu talks of 1987 which resulted in a broad-based unity government; or distil from the Zanu-PF, MDC talks that resulted in the Government of National Unity of 2009 and how both talks were triggered?
“The invaluable role of public opinion – for instance, civil society, the church, cross-party agents, lobbyists, etc – and the building of national consensus on the need to talk or talk about talks, and ultimately the escalation of it all to party agendas, the government, and right up to the main protagonists, is very much needed,” Mzembi said.
The calls for dialogue have been gathering momentum with even Mnangagwa’s followers and seniors members advocating for the much-anticipated talks which are seen as key to unlocking a better Zimbabwe.
