Independent
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has thrown out perceptions by the Zanu PF government accusing outside forces of interfering in Zimbabwe’s sovereignty supposedly working in cohorts with alleged local partners.
In an exclusive interview with the Zimbabwe Independent this week, Chamisa said ZANU PF’s insistence that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe is insane.
“No sane or rational citizen can argue that the current state of affairs in the country is not a threat to the security and peace of the people of Zimbabwe if not that of the Sadc region. The political situation in Zimbabwe constitutes a clear and present danger not just to the security and peace of the people of Zimbabwe, but also to the region’s peace and security,” Chamisa pointed out.
He said an economically and politically burning Zimbabwe sets ablaze its neighbours with its smoke choking the entire Sadc region, adding that his party would continue “to exhort and urge Sadc to be truly a southern African people’s union and not a trade union of leaders’ blind solidarity”.
But Chamisa said the concept of interference in the internal affairs of a country was an “archaic and old-fashioned concept” which had no place in the modern world in which nations or parties to various international treaties on various forms of human rights.
“It is the favourite shield of dictators desirous of being left to murder, abduct, abuse, wrongfully imprison and generally violate the human rights of citizens,” he said.
“In our view, the international community has set up adequate international mechanisms to intervene in situations which threaten not just regional and international security and peace, but also internal security and peace. We need to go further than Sadc Treaty and Protocols to realise that the bloc has a right, in fact an obligation, to intervene in Zimbabwe when the internal situation in the country is deemed to constitute a threat to the security and peace of the region.”
The MDC-A has been challenging Mnangagwa’s legitimacy accrediting the Zimbabwean crisis to the contested legitimacy.
“We must have a national convergence and consensus on the problem definition, trajectory definition and destination definition in order to create a national galvanising moment and that necessary electricity to generate national progress,” Chamisa said.
“Zimbabwe must return to legitimacy and democracy. Legitimacy is not a pre-condition but a post-condition of any dialogue. A legitimate state must be the outcome of any genuine nation-building dialogue process.”
He said the issue of Ramaphosa’s envoys being blocked from meeting with other players exposed the Mnangagwa administration, as it gave the envoys a first-hand account of the challenges being faced when his party tries to engage in “good faith”.
“We need our leaders to take strong leadership, especially over the problems in Zimbabwe, which have gone on for too long and are impacting neighbours in very negative ways. Our view is Zimbabwe is too big a problem to be delegated. It requires those who want to help to take a hands-on approach,” Chamisa said.
“We like the fact that people around President Ramaphosa, including Ministers Naledi Pandor and Lindiwe Zulu have made it clear that there is a political crisis in Zimbabwe. We also noted the words of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule pointing today the crisis here and for which he was attacked by Zanu PF’s Mr (Patrick) Chinamasa. This is a change of wind from the hesitation and reticence of the past. Everyone is fed up and when people are fed up, they act.
“So, we expect this process to lay the ground for us to walk into the path of economic progress. We are guided by long-term interests, not short-term gains. If we wanted that we could have accepted the carrots that were being dangled in front of us after 2018. We rejected that because we appreciated that it was not the solution to our problems as a people. Zimbabwe must return to legitimacy and democracy through a credible dialogue process aimed at unlocking the crisis in our country stemming from a vicious cycle of contested elections since 2000.”
The opposition leader said the role of regional players was to help Zimbabwe help itself.
“At the end of the day, it is the commitment of national leaders that should decide the destiny of our great country. I pray and hope that Mr Mnangagwa will have the same commitment as I have to find a lasting solution to our areas of dispute. We must move away from their current denialism and ostrich mentality.
Since 2000, it has all been about the Zimbabwean crisis,” Chamisa said.