No To GNU-Chamisa

By Martin Muleya

MUTARE- The president of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has lashed out at Zanu Pf and other opposition parties saying, in the forthcoming general elections next year, there won’t be any option for a Government of National Unity (GNU).

Addressing his supporters in Mutare last Saturday, CCC president Nelson Chamisa warned that there won’t be any GNU formation to talk about in 2023 harmonized elections, and vowed that his party will not bow to GNU agreement.

“The elections are like a soccer match with two teams playing in the field. Each team with its players and there is no need to buy players from the team you are playing with or stealing them. You will never buy us.

“They came to me saying they want a GNU and I said we cannot talk about GNU now instead let us go to the elections. The one who will emerge victorious will go on the front, and the one who would have lost the election automatically will follow from behind. For now there is no GNU to talk about, we want to be clear where we are going. All we want are electoral reforms,” said Chamisa amid wild cheering from his supporters.

He dared Zanu Pf adding that CCC will not be sweet talked like what happened in 2009 when the then MDC-T party led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai was enticed to joing a Government of National Unity despite the fact that Zanu Pf had lost the election. He went further to highlight that during the tenure of the GNU that lasted for 5 years, Zanu Pf was reluctant to implement electoral reforms as agreed at the formation of the GNU.

“This country is not for Zanu Pf only. This country does not belong to (President) Mnangagwa. This country is not only for one person. This country belongs to all of us,” added Chamisa.

Sakubva stadium that has a 15000 seater capacity was overwhelmed by CCC supporters from Dangamvura/Chikanga and Mutasa South Constituencies who thronged the stadium.

Dangamvura/Chikanga and Mutasa South Constituencies were previously represented by Prosper Mutseyami and Regai Tsunga respectively under the MDC-Alliance banner, but were later recalled from Parliament last year by the MDC-T now led by Douglas Mwonzora.

Chamisa assured his supporters in Mutare that the upcoming by-elections this Saturday were going to set a potentially explosive showdown against Zanu Pf. He accused the Zimbabwe Republic Police of bedding with Zanu Pf as they hd earlier on reportedly tried to block CCC rallies in Gokwe, Kwekwe, Marondera and recently at Masvingo where ZRP insisted Zanu Pf had also rallies on the same day booked by CCC party.

“Police after being sent by our opponents had denied us to hold rallies and we had to apply at the High Court for clearance. We resolved that if the High Court dismisses our applications we will still have our big rallies, be it in houses or at church because no one can stop an idea whose time has come,” he said.

His sentiments were also underscored by Godfrey Karembera’s (Madzibaba veShanduko) wife Precious Dinha who encouraged her husband to be strong and resilient as he goes through ‘persecution’ in the hands of Zanu Pf.

Dinha reiterated that while Zanu Pf was known for using State apparatus to abduct,torture, intimidate and kill innocent citizens for exercising their democratic right of choosing the candidate they want from the opposition party, there was no turning back, as Nelson Chamisa was the presidential candidate whom Zimbabweans believe should lead the country.

“I am here in Mutare (at Chamisa’s rally) and I urge you my husband to be strong. Those who love Nelson Chamisa and desire to see change should be resilient and courageous in the face of persecution and imminent arrests. That Zanu Pf uses its state apparatus to kidnap, and murder opposition supporters, we are not turning our backs on Chamisa. He is the one we voted for in 2018.

“Maybe I should also remind (President) Emmerson Mnangagwa to control his army, ZRP and CIO because they are coming after us to harass us for supporting Chamisa. We will never forsake the people’s president even if we go through in the mud or in thorny situations we will still rally behind him,” she said as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Dinha also accused Zanu Pf of poking its nose in opposition politics by using their ‘remote’ hand to try and destroy Chamisa using the MDC-T. She said she was not afraid to get arrested or tortured for supporting Chamisa by state security agents and appealed to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and European Union (EU) to intervene.

“If they (CIO) want to come and kill me, I am ready to die for Chamisa because I know he is key to development in Zimbabwe. Enough is enough, we have suffered for long . We know no happiness in this country and most of us are fleeing to other countries in search of greener pastures. Right now, I don’t even know where my husband is. I last talked to him earlier in the morning only to hear he is at a certain hospital under four police guards. I am urging him to be strong as we want to reclaim our country from Zanu Pf, she added as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Turning on the upcoming by-elections Chamisa urged his supporters that democratization in Zimbabwe was going to come from citizens if they go out in their numbers to vote on Saturday, 26th March.

He said investors were already a stone’s throw away from this country and are keenly waiting for him (Chamisa) to be voted into power. He reiterated that once voted in power, his party will make sure that the economy is dollarized.

The youthful president said the winner takes it all shall be the guiding principle when 2023 elections are held.

“I wrote a letter to SADC and other heads of state including United Nations (UN) informing them that 2023 we won’t get into the elections as long as there are no electoral reforms and the condition that winner takes it all should supercede everything. election in Zimbabwe can only be held when our(CCC) party is present,” concluded Chamisa.

Elsewhere a defected CCC party supporter Emmanuel Chingoto who crossed floor to join Zanu Pf, during the Dangamvura rally held a fortnight ago, warned CCC party leadership that they should re-examine their minds as they were daydreaming if only they knew that this country’s independence cane through the barrel of the gun and not the ballot.

Chingoto chided that there was nothing new that Nelson Chamisa and other opposition political parties could bring change in the country when in fact they failed to dislodge the late Robert Mugabe’s party Zanu Pf through a ballot.

“President Robert Mugabe had grown old but you (opposition parties) failed to take away the reigns of presidency from him. This team (the Presidium) you think you can snatch the leadership from them and just watch you without doing anything?, quizzed Chingoto amid wild cheers from Zanu Pf supporters.

He boasted that President Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga who are decorated soldiers of the liberation struggle would not surrender this country to people with no liberation credentials. He added that trying to elbow out Zanu Pf through an election was just a futile exercise.