THE late liberation war icon and national hero Dumiso
Dabengwa died a bitter man after his push for a national transitional authority
(NTA) to run government business following former President Robert Mugabe’s
ouster fell flat in November 2017.
Zapu secretary-general, Strike Mnkandla told mourners at
Dabengwa’s burial in Ntabazinduna on Saturday that the Zapu leader tried
without success to push for an NTA as a soft-landing for the country’s then
long-serving leader, but his efforts were spurned by Zanu PF politicians.
“In the area of governance, Dabengwa was committed to
promoting democratisation and peaceful change,” he said.
“In-spite of the fact that he knew what to do when there
was no peace. Dabengwa also tried other peaceful elements. He tried to push for
an NTA. He tried to show that there was soft landing after President Mugabe
left, but that was not to happen.”
There were high hopes that an NTA was in the offing after
Mugabe’s 2017 ouster, only for the ruling Zanu PF party to choose the path of
elections, which were controversially won by
President Emmerson Mnangagwa with disputed results.
Mnangagwa, however, still struggles to fight off legitimacy
issues with the opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa charging that he
stole the July 30, 2018 elections.
The MDC Alliance is now pushing for an NTA to ostensibly
save the country from further economic collapse amid ever-rising costs of
basics and services as the virtual RTGS dollar and bond note currencies keep
losing value.
In 2009, a Government of National Unity formed between the
MDCs and Zanu PF helped stabilise the economy after the country’s inflation
figures hit a record 500 billion percent, according to the International
Monetary Fund.
The country is currently on edge over the grinding economic
crisis and rising poverty levels, with the opposition threatening a winter of
protests. Social media has been abuzz with calls for a national shutdown.
Yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant
Commissioner Paul Nyathi denied reports that the State security organ had
cancelled or suspended all leave for serving members and brought them back to
work amid threats of protests.
“That is not true. There is no such order from the ZRP,”
Nyathi said. Newsday
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