THE Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) has scoffed at MDC-A
leader Mr Nelson Chamisa’s claims that former South African President Thabo
Mbeki was failing to communicate with President Mnangagwa to facilitate
dialogue between the ruling Zanu-PF and his party.
Speaking at a press briefing in Bulawayo last week, Polad
said Mr Chamisa was not the former president’s spokesperson.
The political grouping also said it would be meeting Mr
Mbeki in the next two weeks as it continues its regional and international
re-engagement drive.
Mr Chamisa told the Bulawayo Press Club earlier last week
that Mr Mbeki had told him that President Mnangagwa was neither taking nor
returning his calls.
Polad thematic sub-committee chairperson of international
relations and re-engagement, Mr Kwanele Hlabangana, said they were not going to
be distracted by the opposition leader’s misleading statements.
“I do not think President Mbeki suddenly has a new
spokesperson in the form of Chamisa. As far as we are concerned, dialogue is
moving smoothly actually. I can tell you that in the coming two weeks as Polad
we will be meeting with President Mbeki, so I wonder what Chamisa is talking
about,” he said.
“Further, we believe there is a misguided notion that
dialogue is about individuals —that is (between) President Mnangagwa and
Chamisa — which is not true. It is about political organisations . . .”
Mr Hlabangana also described allegations that Polad had
already squandered US$5 million on international trips as “hot air”.
“As we engage, we will be meeting a number of stakeholders
in the diplomatic community. Interestingly, I hear in the media that we are globetrotting
and spending US$5 million, let me assure you that is hot air, we have not even
taken a single trip outside Zimbabwe.
“The only engagements we have done so far were with the
local diplomatic community here in Harare. So far we have met with the US
ambassador, His Excellency Brian Nichols; we have met also with the British
ambassador (Melanie Robinson), we have met with the EU ambassador (Timo
Olkkonen) and we also had a discussion with UNDP,” he said.
Polad, he added, was not an extension of Government. “Polad
is not there to rubber stamp everything being done by the Government, we raise
our concerns, we make our recommendations, we urge Government to do certain
things because the whole idea is to have Zimbabwe rejoin the family of
nations.”
Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba on Friday also
dismissed Mr Chamisa’s claims.
“I don’t know what he was referring to, he is not a member
of the Mbeki house as far as I know or is he a member of the Mnangagwa
household, so he wouldn’t know what goes on between the two of them.
“In reality, the two met briefly on the sidelines of the
African Union Summit in Addis Ababa and had a bit of a chat and I can assure
you that the President of Zimbabwe, out of courtesy, updated the former
president of South Africa on the developments in the country,” Mr Charamba
said. Sunday Mail
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