PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday ruled out another
coalition with MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai shortly after visiting the ailing
opposition leader at his Highlands home in Harare yesterday.
“Currently, there is no need,” he said shortly after
meeting the former Prime Minister. Pressed further on the question of a
coalition, as there was a strong lobby for it, Mnangagwa insisted there would
be none.
“We are a democratic country, people can lobby for
anything,” he said curtly.
Since Mnangagwa’s rise to the presidency, there have been
calls for a unity government, which many hope is the best way out of the
economic crisis, but these have been dismissed by the ruling party.
Mnangagwa, with his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, paid a
largely unexpected visit to Tsvangirai, with pictures portraying an unwell
MDC-T leader.
The President said Tsvangirai, who is battling cancer of
the colon, was recuperating well and would soon travel to South Africa for
further treatment.
“He is fine. He is recuperating very well and he says he
will soon go back for further medical check-ups in South Africa,” he said.
Mnangagwa and Chiwenga’s visit comes amid reports that the
government has offered to fund part of the former Prime Minister’s medical
bills.
Last year, former President Robert Mugabe reportedly came
to the rescue of his political nemesis by providing
$70 000 for medical treatment.
The MDC-T leader has been unwell for close to a year after
being diagnosed with cancer of the colon.
He has been frequenting South Africa for medical treatment.
Mnangagwa was received by Tsvangirai’s deputy, Nelson
Chamisa, the former premier’s wife, Elizabeth, and
MDC-T secretary for elections, Murisi Zwizwai.
Chamisa said the visit signified the dawn of a new
political era characterised by passion for one another regardless of different
political ideologies.
“It’s a welcome thing. It’s African to care for one
another, it’s very Zimbabwean, and this is the new politics we would want to
see,” he said.
“The politics of working together and of feeling for each
other, this is the direction.
“I hope that it would be the kind of talk that would be
walked and the kind of walk that would be sustained.”
Chamisa said he hoped the compassion shown by Mnangagwa and
Chiwenga would be sustained in the forthcoming elections.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka said the two
leaders discussed the current cash crisis affecting the country and the need to
engage the international community.
“The two leaders discussed the current dire situation in
the country, the plight of the people, the cash crisis afflicting the country,
the urgency of free and fair elections to ensure a return to legitimacy, as
well as the need to engage the international community so that the country
rejoins the family of nations,” he said. Newsday
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