Zimbabwe is too divided politically and needs a national
dialogue to settle the political standoff between Zanu PF and MDC before the
2023 elections, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has said.
Chamisa said the much-needed electoral, political and
economic reforms must be put in place in order to heal deep divisions in the
electorate before the next polls.
“What we can’t afford to do is to go into any other
election without resolving the political dispute. We have to ensure that we
restore the sanctity of the vote. What the people voted for must be respected,”
Chamisa told NewsDay recently.
The MDC leader said several years of hate politics,
violence and poverty had pushed Zimbabweans to the edge leaving a nation that
is deeply divided, insisting that these wounds can only be healed by genuine
political dialogue and a transitional mechanism.
“This is a deeply divided country. We have to come together
and say how do we move forward on the fundamental and comprehensive reforms we
want to see — on nation-building, peace-building and on resolving the economic
questions,” he said.
Despite losing a Constitutional Court (ConCourt) challenge
on the contested presidential election results, Chamisa said the dispute was
far from over and he was willing to force for a settlement with President
Emmerson Mnangagwa through demonstrations.
“This dispute does not get resolved because the ConCourt
has declared, it has to be resolved politically because the dispute is
political, it’s not legal anymore. Mnangagwa is the one that is purporting to
be the President of the country, but we want people to be respected, let there
be political dialogue.”
“If Mr Mnangawga is not willing to dialogue, we are going
to deal with him on the streets. We have the constitutional right to do so — to
occupy the streets. When the people feel that we have to occupy the State and
when they are ready we will be availed,” he said.
Chamisa, a lawyer, has been asked to respect the ConCourt
ruling which endorsed Mnangagwa’s election, but he insists that the ConCourt
delivered law and not justice.
“Sovereignty of
Zimbabwe resides in two institutions, the people as a sovereign authority and
also the Constitution . . . the court ruled, the court is not a court of
justice, it’s not just a court of the truth, it’s a court of law. The law took
Mr Mnangagwa to be President, but it does not take away what the people voted
for and that dispute has to be resolved,” he said.
The commission of inquiry into the post-election violence
led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, recommended an
internationally assisted dialogue noting that Zimbabweans were deeply divided.
Mnangagwa on setting up the commission said he would
implement the resolutions by the commission, but instead of getting
international mediation he has opted for local solutions, which he is leading.
The MDC, facing its own internal challenges ahead of a
watershed congress in May, has refused to sit on the table with Mnangagwa on
his own terms and conditions saying such talks would be meaningless. Newsday
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