Chamisa stepped down as opposition Citizens Coalition for
Change (CCC) leader in January, citing infiltration by Zanu PF after
self-proclaimed party secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu went on a rampage to
recall dozens of party legislators and councillors.
Despite, his exit from CCC, factions within the opposition
party have continued associating themselves with him, with one of the factions
being led by Welshman Ncube refusing to let go of his face as the party logo.
Chamisa’s close allies, led by former legislators Amos
Chibaya and Gift Siziba have been criss-crossing the country, mobilising
support on behalf of Chamisa under a campaign dubbed the Blue Movement.
But Chamisa told NewsDay in an exclusive interview, that he
was not focusing on forming another political party, but on forming a new
government.
“I have been meeting people,” said Chamisa. “I have been in
the countryside. I am meeting people in villages, community leaders, opinion
leaders and traditional leaders.
“I am meeting people personally and it is an amazing show
of confidence and hope. People are so committed. Zimbabweans are prepared to
whatever extent for change to be realised in Zimbabwe. It’s like the spirit of
the liberation struggle indefatigable and indomitable. Zimbabwe needs a new
government, not just a new movement. I am doing everything to make sure that I
do not let the delayed hope and expectation of Zimbabwe be jeopardised. People
have hope of change everywhere I go and I will not disappoint them.”
The young politician, who was also a former Cabinet
minister in the 2009 to 2013 Government of National Unity, said he was courting
regional and international support, to “urgently” resolve the country’s
political crisis, after he refused to accept the August 23 and 24 election
results in which President Emerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner.
After he resigned from the CCC, Chamisa met several
diplomatic representatives in the country, including Canadian Ambassador to
Zimbabwe Adler Aristilde and British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pete Vowles, to
discuss various political issues.
“I am leaving no stone unturned to make sure that the will
of the people prevails,” he said.
“As to what practical steps I am going to take, I am doing
wide consultations with the citizens and opinion leaders. I will announce very
soon what the next step is. What must come is something that cannot afford to
fail, because we do not have that luxury.
“We have so many stones that have to be turned and these
are local stakeholders, labour, the church, students, women’s groups, farmers
groups, and traditional leaders, beyond our border and within the region Sadc
[Southern African Development Community], AU [African Union] and all those
stones need to be turned and I am glad that the response that I am getting from
both within and beyond is amazing.”
The former CCC leader insisted Sadc was still seized with
Zimbabwe’s political situation.
“There is an unresolved national question of leadership. It
can’t be a closed chapter, when a student has failed an examination, it can’t
be the end of the story. There must be a proper examination and proper
qualification out of a system and process. Sadc passed the verdict that the
Zimbabwe election did not pass the election credibility test. No discredited
process can produce a credible outcome,” he told NewsDay. Newsday
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