Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has said
President Mnangagwa is correct in convening the Political Actors Dialogue
(POLAD) despite winning the 2018 harmonised elections, and advised other
African countries to follow such a noble initiative.
Mr Mbeki was speaking on South Africa’s SABC News last
week, where he said President Mnangagwa had set a good example for fellow
African countries, and slated MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa for
spurning the dialogue.
He expressed frustration that the opposition leader was
intransigent despite the outcome of the elections and the Constitutional Court
ruling, removing the basis of Mr Chamisa’s claims of the supposed illegitimacy
of the winner.
‘‘So, I’m saying that something should happen because what
President Mnangagwa has done is correct and I’m saying MDC agreed in principle
to this, so let them find a way together because you go through the courts as
happened in Zimbabwe and as happening in Malawi to resolve whatever are the
contested things, but after that you must address this matter,’’ he said.
Mr Mbeki — who is no stranger to Zimbabwean affairs having
mediated the inter-party dialogue that led to the formation of the inclusive
Government in 2009 — urged compatriots to come together and work towards a
better Zimbabwe.
He said the call for dialogue, as well as unity of purpose
shown by President Mnangagwa to resolve political and socio-economic issues
affecting the country, was the way to go and every Zimbabwean should be
involved.
President Mnangagwa is on record as calling for all
peace-loving Zimbabweans to come forward with views and other developmental
ideas that can make Zimbabwe a great nation again.
Mr Mbeki noted that national issues require collective
minds. “For us we are trying to develop our countries, you need
maximum unity to address a number of challenges, so it can’t be enough that I
won the election and that’s it,” he said. “So, I’m saying the initiative such
as has been taken in Zimbabwe is correct and I hope the Zimbabweans will indeed
be able to get together including the MDC.
“The MDC must be part of that process, it’s important as a
continent that we deal with this matter.”
The political dialogue initiated by President Mnangagwa is
being attended by almost all of the parties that fielded presidential
candidates in last year’s harmonised elections.
President Mnangagwa said at a meeting to chart the way
forward with fellow participants in the dialogue that a few parties that
started the process, but later pulled out were coming back knocking to be
re-admitted.
At the same meeting, he gave an update on the process,
saying the efforts of coming together by Zimbabweans to proffer solutions to
problems facing the country were being recognised by outsiders and development
partners.
Fellow participants have been appealing for unity, peace
and an end to economic anctions.
But Mr Chamisa deliberately seems to broaden the chasm by
openly calling for further protests which in the past have led to violence.
He is also a firm supporter of the debilitating sanctions
imposed on Zimbabwe by some Western countries.
Apart from boycotting the political parties’ dialogue,
Chamisa is also refusing to acknowledge President Mnangagwa as the legitimate
winner of last year’s harmonised polls as announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC) and confirmed by the Constitutional Court.
Last year, South African opposition leader Mr Julius Malema
appealed to Mr Chamisa during an SABC News interview to accept the poll
outcome, saying he could not claim to be the winner on the basis of attendance
at rallies. Herald
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