By Clifford Hlatywayo | One thing that Zimbabweans without doubt know very well is that President Advocate Nelson Chamisa resoundingly defeated Mnangagwa in the 31 July 2018 elections. The sting of that defeat continues to haunt and traumatize Mnangagwa and his ZANU-PF party to this day, and it explains why they don’t want to hear anything of President Chamisa and the MDC ALLIANCE (MDCA). They have resorted to a number of failed tactics and tricks to try and destroy the people’s President and the MDCA including withholding political party finances.
Immediately after elections ,on 1 August 2018, elements in the state security forces shot and killed people in the streets of Harare.This was confirmed by the Commission which was headed by President Kgalema Motlanthe which recommended action against perpetrators but up to now no one has been brought to book despite the government spending millions of dollars on the Commission. It is not in doubt that the enemy of the people wanted to use the hearings of the Commission to frame President Chamisa but they failed dismally.
After the grand election theft in 2018, ZANU-PF tried to lure President Chamisa into the so-called Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), a shame grouping of all losing presidential election candidates including Thokozani Khupe and Mnangagwa. They failed. ZANU-PF wanted to create a position of the Leader of Opposition in Parliament with ministerial pecks, but they failed to lure President Chamisa because he is for the people not positions.
At the dawn of the first COVID-19 induced national lockdown last year, which turned to be more of a political lockdown than a public health one, the Supreme Court was opened just to deliver a ruling meant to adversely affect the operations of a voluntary organization and give directions to a political party with its own constitutional remedies. The ruling which purportedly gave the MDC-T party to Khupe triggered a series of events that are well documented, including the grabbing of the Morgan Tsvangirai house at the middle of the night with Soldiers and riot police present. The MDC-T then illegally and irregularly recalled MDC-A MPs and Councillors and replaced Proportional Representation MPs with individuals who were rejected by the people in elections including Khupe. They banned by-elections but allowed a sham MDCT congress that took place last month at the Harare International Conference Center during the corona virus pandemic.
They fear the people because they know that their stooges are not wanted by the electorate. They are still hiding behind the COVID-19 lockdown to suppress the people’s voices and democratic actions; it will not work.
Abductions, torture, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions of political leaders and activists including professionals to try to instill fear will not work. Khupe failed to destroy President Chamisa and the new old boy given the same assignment will also fail spectacularly. A hired Mwonzora Douglas who was defeated by Secretary General Hon Chalton Hwende during the 2019 MDCA Gweru Congress is well known for destroying political organizations including Forum Party, ZUM, NCA and now the Supreme Court revived MDC T. Their mission is doomed. They cannot destroy the person of President Chamisa, neither can they destabilize the people’s movement. President Chamisa is the product of the people, he defeated Khupe and Mnangagwa combined in the last election.
Our struggle is not about money or positions, but about delivering the real promises of democracy, total transformation, and prosperity to every citizen. Our fight is a just fight to win Zimbabwe for change.
Change That Delivers
Minister Clifford Hlatywayo
MDCA Deputy Secretary for Communications