PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s office says it never got any letters from Nelson Chamisa regarding the mooted national talks, and neither was it aware of emissaries that the MDC Alliance leader sent to the president.
“We are not in receipt of any letter from Chamisa at all.
We are also not aware of any emissaries that he has sent to us. That’s
completely untrue,” Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba told the Daily
News On Sunday yesterday.
This comes after Chamisa said on Thursday that he had
written several letters and also sent a number of emissaries to Mnangagwa on
the need to hold much-needed dialogue — but to no avail thus far.
Charamba also told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday that
in spite of the confusion over Chamisa’s letters and emissaries, Mnangagwa
remained ready to engage in dialogue with the opposition and other key
stakeholders — in the interest of the country.
“We have been ready from the first day after the results of
the elections were announced in 2018.
“We proceeded not just to offer him (Chamisa) recognition,
we also made available a platform — the political actors dialogue (Polad) — for
engaging him alongside all other politicians.
“But we don’t engage Chamisa to rescue his world that is
collapsing, we engage Chamisa for national good,” Charamba told the Daily News
On Sunday.
“We have been forced into election mode from the day after
the 2018 election, and this is much regrettable … Creating Polad was to
de-escalate electoral politics, but Chamisa decided not to join.
“They thought that there is a magic wand in continued
politicking electorally over a closed matter, without realising it could only
underline their weaknesses and unreasonableness.
“The dialogue is proceeding and engagement is happening
every day,” the tough-talking Charamba also told the Daily News On Sunday.
This comes as new opposition leader Douglas Mwonzora and
Chamisa are stepping up the chase for talks with Mnangagwa and other key
stakeholders, to help end the country’s decades-long political and economic
crises.
It also comes as the opposition is set to hold nationwide
consultations with Zimbabweans this weekend, on the mooted talks.
Charamba also said yesterday that while it was a positive
thing that Chamisa now wanted dialogue with Mnangagwa, both the president and
Zanu PF were not amused by “the young man’s dishonesty towards talks”.
“What we find unacceptable is for him to try and suggest
that he is a crop above the rest … that is completely unacceptable.
“It’s not a crime for a young politician to realise the
folly of his initial stance and seek engagement … that’s normal in the learning
curve of a political abstract.
“What would be unacceptable is for that young politician to
then try and legitimise his U-turn by making false claims,” Charamba further
told the Daily News On Sunday.
Last week, Chamisa twice publicly and directly called for
both all-inclusive national talks and a joining of forces with other key
stakeholders to deal with Zimbabwe’s myriad challenges.
“I have written several letters to Mnangagwa. I have sent
emissaries to Mnangagwa to say come let us reason together. This problem for
Zimbabwe is too big for you.
“You are incapable of solving it alone. It takes two to
tango. Come let’s look at the problem together. But he doesn’t listen.
“He has refused to listen. He has refused to understand
where we are coming from. You can’t say the country is normal … when student
leaders are in jail, when senior MDC members are charged, when workers have had
charges. That can’t be normal,” Chamisa told a meeting organised by Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition.
“You can’t be the only one who is right and everyone is
wrong. That is what has to be corrected.
“But it starts with understanding that something is
fundamentally broken and that it needs to be fixed. And it can only be fixed by
all of us,” he also said.
But Charamba told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday that
Chamisa’s “sudden readiness to have dialogue” was a face-saving act as his
influence was “dimming”.
“I don’t think he has seen the light. What he has realised
is that things are falling apart. We have seen a number of interests trying to
rescue him, including foreign ones, but that can’t be the basis of engaging
Chamisa.
“That he may have done as a way of face-saving is to hide
behind fellow religious leaders who have tried to reach the president through
the president’s uncle, vaMutendi (Zion Christian Church leader Bishop Nehemiah
Mutendi),” Charamba said further.
He also said the country was on a good economic trajectory,
adding quickly that it was still important “for people to dialogue for the good
of the country”.
However, Charamba chided the Church for reaching out to
Western embassies over the country’s mooted national dialogue.
“There is no leader, let alone in Zanu PF who declined
dialogue … What is objectionable are two basic things, to distribute dialogue
on a preferential basis and … to engage in dialogue which is prompted by
foreign interests. These issues don’t need foreigners. We are seeing church
leaders who are going to the EU and Americans.
“If they want funding to run their churches, that’s
entirely a different matter which should never be confused with Zimbabwe’s
quest for national dialogue, which is a national initiative and which is an
expression of national sovereignty,” Charamba told the Daily News On Sunday.
This comes as Chamisa has intensified his push for talks,
after the MDC Alliance said it had deployed people countrywide to consult on
the scope of the planned dialogue that is meant to help end Zimbabwe’s myriad
challenges.
“We are dispatching 210 teams all over Zimbabwe in every
constituency. This is a serious thing …
Zimbabwe needs dialogue to have reforms.
“We are engaging the people at various levels … including
traditional leaders, our structures, business, trade unions and students. “We
are engaging citizens. The party will spearhead and not lead the process,” MDC
Alliance deputy spokesperson, Clifford Hlatywayo, told the Daily News On
Sunday’s sister paper, the Daily News last week.
“The issue of dialogue is to deal with the problems we are
facing as a nation … The players are Mnangagwa, president Chamisa and the
people of Zimbabwe, and these are the stakeholders who must take part in the
dialogue.
“There is no need to have Polad. The Zimbabwe crisis will
not be solved by talking to friends only.
“When we talk about nation-building there is a need to
swallow pride. Even those who are not in good books must talk,” Hlatywayo
further told the Daily News.
“All these issues are going to be discussed with the
people. We are going to table them with the people. We need to take all on
board, starting this weekend,” he added.
All this also comes as there is a growing consensus among
Zimbabwe’s key stakeholders on the urgent need for inclusive national dialogue
to help end the country’s decades-long myriad challenges.
It also comes as the Church has presented a draft talks
framework to Zanu PF, the MDC, Western powers and other stakeholders — as it
pushes for Mnangagwa, Mwonzora and Chamisa to settle their political
differences via the negotiating table. Daily News
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