OPPOSITION leader Douglas Mwonzora has now formally approached President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other key stakeholders on the much-talked about national dialogue.
At the same time, sources told the Daily News yesterday
that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu PF wanted Vice President
Constantino Chiwenga to be their point man for the mooted talks.
This comes as many Zimbabweans are pushing for Mnangagwa,
Mwonzora and Nelson Chamisa to bury their political hatchets and hold talks to
help extricate the country from its decades-long political and economic
challenges.
Mwonzora’s spokesperson, Lloyd Damba, confirmed to the
Daily News yesterday that the MDC had now indeed approached the government for
the much-needed dialogue.
“Besides the government, we are engaging other players
behind the scenes. “We are engaging
various stakeholders and when the time comes for you to know the intricate details
you will be the first to know,” he said.
On his part MDC chairperson, Morgen Komichi, said the party
would soon be meeting all relevant stakeholders as part of its efforts to make
the process inclusive.
“The situation is now better in terms of Covid-19 and soon
we are going to meet all stakeholders — including churches, civil society
groups and students, among others. We are doing everything possible to make
sure that we have this dialogue as soon as possible.
“The most important thing is that people must be educated
on the advantages of having dialogue because the country cannot continue being
divided like this,” Komichi told the Daily News.
“We are happy that everyone, including political parties,
is seeing the light in terms of recognising the advantages of having dialogue.
“Dialogue is needed now and we must put more effort into
this. Before the talks, there is a need to address three things — which entail
fears, interests and needs.” he added.
Other MDC insiders also told the Daily News yesterday that
Mwonzora’s approaches to Mnangagwa’s office had yielded positive feedback, with
the opposition leader apparently being assured that “the president’s door is
wide open for negotiations”.
“The party’s emissaries were told to engage Mnangagwa’s
government through Vice President Chiwenga,” one of the insiders said.
But Komichi and Damba would neither confirm nor deny this
assertion yesterday, with the former saying it was impolitic to “negotiate via
newspapers”.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba also said
yesterday that he was not privy to the reported developments. “These are political party issues. So, talk to
(Zanu PF spokesperson Simon) Khaya Moyo,” he said.
On his part, Khaya Moyo said he was aware that Zanu PF and
the MDC had met on the sidelines of the launch of the second stage of phase one
of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Victoria Falls last Thursday.
However, he said, he was not aware that Chiwenga had been designated
to become Zanu PF’s and the government’s point man on the talks. “I am not
aware of that. All I know is that they met in Victoria Falls during the
vaccination launch,” Moyo told the Daily News.
This comes after the country’s top clerics, converging
under the banner of the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD),
shared with Zanu PF, the MDC and the MDC Alliance their draft proposal for
national talks.
The ZHOCD is made up of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches,
Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe
and the Union of the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe — these
bodies are believed to represent about 80 percent of the country’s Christians.
Mwonzora and Chamisa have been stepping up their chase for
talks with Mnangagwa and other key stakeholders over the past few months.
Since assuming the position of opposition leader, Mwonzora
has particularly been preaching the politics of unity and tolerance — which has
endeared him to many strife-weary Zimbabweans.
Recently, Chamisa has also twice reiterated his desire to
hold dialogue with Mnangagwa and other key stakeholders, in the interest of the
country.
Speaking in Harare at a meeting organised by Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition, Chamisa revealed that he had written several letters and
also sent a number of emissaries to Mnangagwa about this — to no avail thus
far.
At the same time, he also reiterated his call for a broad
coalition of opposition parties and other key stakeholders to push for reforms
and national dialogue.
In the meantime, political analysts such as renowned
professor of World Politics at the University of London’s School of Oriental
and African Studies, Stephen Chan, have said that dialogue is the best way to
end Zimbabwe’s challenges.
“The situation in Zimbabwe is dire, so that posturing is
simply futile. I think everyone is slowly coming to the realisation that
dialogue is unavoidable.
“Certainly, the view in the international community is that
talks that are unconditional — on all sides — open and transparent, should take
place.
“Inclusive means inclusive. The MDC has split. It cannot at
this moment be repaired. Both factions need to have a place at the talks,” the
respected Chan told the Daily News recently. Daily News
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