- Chamisa happy to have former SA President Mbeki as intermediator
- MDC will not be force-marched to join POLAD
- MDC is committed to genuine dialogue
- ED spokesperson Charamba says no deal outside Polad
FORMER South Africa President Thabo Mbeki is being viewed as the messiah and one endowed with the capacity to broker a deal between President Emerson Mnangagwa and opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, Zim Morning Post has learnt.
Since the 2018 harmonised elections, Zimbabwe has been on deadlock after Chamisa accused Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) of rigging away the presidency from him.
Sources within the MDC said Chamisa was happy to have Mbeki as the conciliator between him and Mnangagwa.
“President (Chamisa) is happy to have President Mbeki as the mediator between him and ED (Mnangagwa). If you remember in 2008, President Mbeki broke the deadlock between the late MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai and the former late President Robert Mugabe,” an MDC party source said.
But Zanu PF maintains that the only platform for dialogue is the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), which the MDC has declined to be a part of, labelling it a Zanu PFproject.
However, Mnangagwa spokesperson George Charamba said his boss has always reiterated that the only avenue which available for dialogue is POLAD.
“POLAD is there to facilitate such talks and I do not see any other platform being created to accommodate the MDC alone,” Charamba said.
Speaking to Zim Morning Post, MDC Alliance Youth Assembly spokesperson Stephen Chuma said his party was committed to genuine dialogue as efforts to bring back the country from the economic precipice intensify.
“We are committed to genuine dialogue and having (former) President Mbeki as the intermediator might yield something. We welcome that,” Chuma said.
The MDC Alliance youth spokesperson dismissed as speculation that his party wanted dialogue so that it curves its way into an inclusive government arrangement.
Chuma rubbished the allegations: “I need to set the record straight. We are not interested in an inclusive government, but we need to save the ailing economy. The dialogue should address issues of State capture and media reforms, among others.”
Chuma added that they were not going to be force-marched so that they participate in POLAD, adding that if genuine dialogue failed to materialize, his party would roll out massive demonstrations in order to save Zimbabweans from the impending economic doom.
“If genuine dialogue fails to take place, it is not a secret that we will roll out massive demonstrations as allowed by the Constitution,” Chuma added.
Zimbabwe Council of Churches secretary-general Kenneth Mtata put his weight behind Mbeki, saying he was a seasoned mediator and suited for the task.
“President Mbeki is a seasoned mediator and he can execute the task very well,” Mtata said.
According to sources, Mbeki is expected in the country during the second week of January