OPPOSITION MDC president Nelson Chamisa yesterday conceded
that he was under “immense pressure” from restless party supporters who want to
confront President Emmerson Mnangagwa over his handling of the country’s
economy.
Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic crisis in a decade,
with prices of basic goods soaring and shortages of medicines, fuel and
electricity, while rising inflation has wiped out wages.
Chamisa said supporters wanted to take to the streets, a
sentiment he said was popular with the party faithful during his whirlwind tour
of provinces that began two weeks ago.
The opposition leader told NewsDay yesterday that in all
places he had been, which include Bulawayo, Masvingo, Midlands, Mashonaland
Central and others, there were overwhelming calls for action to deal with the
crisis in Zimbabwe.
“I have been to Gweru, Bulawayo and Masvingo, the sentiment
I got is that there is pressure among people to go on the streets,” Chamisa
said.
“People want to be on the street as early as yesterday to
protest against government. Considering that people are suffering and dying
while crossing the flooded Limpopo to South Africa looking for opportunities
that are deprived back home, the pressure is unbearable. People want to be in
the street as early as yesterday to have the situation resolved.
“They look forward to the political leadership to resolve
the crisis, which is not happening. But what I want to assure people is that
change will come and it is not far. This situation is not sustainable, it
cannot subsist for a long time.”
Efforts to have Mnangagwa and Chamisa dialogue to end the
Zimbabwean crisis, characterised by fuel shortages, cash crisis, mealie-meal
shortages, hyperinflation, power cuts among other issues, have hit a brickwall.
This is despite the intervention by former South African
President Thabo Mbeki to try and bring the warring parties to the table.
Mnangagwa has been accused of failing to deal with the
deepening economic crisis, with observers saying dialogue was the only way out.
Chamisa has insisted on talks, but hinted he was giving up
on any prospect for dialogue as Mnangagwa has not been forthcoming, to the
extent of ignoring moves by Mbeki.
While Mnangagwa remains adamant that dialogue will only
happen under the Political Actors’ Dialogue banner, Chamisa has said he will
not join a captured project.
There have been calls from within the MDC for a more
combative approach to the current situation with mainly protests being one of
the key points.
Said Chamisa: “Mnangagwa has not been taking an olive
branch we extended to him on dialogue, and now we don’t have a choice, but take
action.
“It is foolhardy to continue talking about elections that
are not elections, elections whose outcome is predetermined. We have been down
this road since 2000, people voting and being cheated and their vote being
disregarded as was the situation in 2008.
“We cannot continue with this national deception and global
deceit. The people have the total sovereign power to resolve their problems; it
is through elections that executive authority is driven, legislative as well as
judicial.”
Job Sikhala, the MDC deputy national chair, said time was
fast ripening to bring down the Mnangagwa dictatorship.
“Zimbabwe cannot survive further with these people (Mnangagwa
and Zanu PF). Their time is up and a thunderstorm of anger is gathering. Let me
make this promise. Very soon, from the forefront, we are going to liberate our
country,” Sikhala said in his message thanking the MDC family and people for
their support during his treason trial.
Meanwhile, fresh details have emerged on why Chamisa
suspended the James Gumbi-chaired Masvingo executive last week as it was
revealed that the leadership was not in touch with reality on the ground,
neglecting some districts, leading to a paltry 27 votes in the Mwenezi
by-election held recently.
Zanu PF garnered 1 811 votes, while the MDC got only 27 in
the by-election as the top leaders of the Masvingo executive are all based in
Harare, with the chairman working full time in the capital together with the
secretary, who is a lawyer in Harare.
“They are visitors in Masvingo and we got complaints from
the districts on the matter, so we had to act,” a senior MDC official said.
“Senior members in the executive stay in Harare and they
never set their feet in Mwenezi to campaign, yet Zanu PF was visible and well
represented. The people ended up voting for Zanu PF because they had no
protection from their leaders in the province,” the insider said.
“If they decide to go to Masvingo, before they reach Mbudzi
roundabout, Zanu PF officials would have arrived for meetings in the province
and we can’t have that kind of leadership now. People were used to impunity and
we said now, we are drawing a line in the sand.” Newsday
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