Opposition politician Nelson Chamisa yesterday revealed that he has personally embarked on grassroots campaigns in villages to chart his next political move and has distanced himself from any other political party.
Chamisa resigned as leader of the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) in January, citing ZANU-PF infiltration after Singiso Chabangu, the party’s self-proclaimed secretary-general, went on a rampage to summon dozens of party lawmakers and councillors.
Despite his exit from the CCC, factions within the opposition party continued to associate with him, with one faction led by Welshman Ncube refusing to give up his face as the party’s emblem.
Chamisa’s close allies, led by former legislators Amos Chibaya and Gift Sziba, are crisscrossing the country to rally support for Chamisa as part of a campaign dubbed the “Blue Movement”.
But Chamisa told NewsDay in an exclusive interview that he was not focused on forming another political party, but rather on forming a new government.
“I was meeting people,” Chamisa said. “I’ve been out in the countryside. I’m meeting people in the villages, community leaders, opinion leaders and traditional leaders.
“I meet people in person and it is a wonderful show of trust and hope. People are very committed. Zimbabweans are willing to go to any lengths to bring about change in Zimbabwe. It is like the spirit of liberation struggle that is indefatigable and indomitable. Zimbabwe needs a new government, not just a new movement. I do “It’s all in my power to ensure that I will not let Zimbabwe’s backward hopes and expectations be jeopardized. People have hope for change everywhere I go and I will not disappoint them.”
The young politician, who was also a former minister in the National Unity Government from 2009 to 2013, said he was seeking regional and international support to resolve the country’s political crisis “urgently,” after he refused to accept the August 23-24 elections. Election results in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner.
Following his resignation from the CCC, Chamisa met with several diplomatic representatives in the country, including Canadian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Adler Aristheld and British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pete Fowles, to discuss various political issues.
He added: “I will not leave any stone unturned to ensure that the will of the people prevails.”
He added: “Regarding the practical steps that I will take, I am conducting broad consultations with 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 a lot of stones to turn over, and these are local stakeholders, workers, the church, students, women’s groups, farmer groups, traditional leaders, outside our borders and within the SADC region.”
[Southern African Development Community]the African Union [African Union] And all those stones need to be turned over, and I’m glad that the response I’m getting from home and abroad has been amazing.
The former CPC leader insisted that the group remains preoccupied with the political situation in Zimbabwe.
“There is the issue of national leadership that has not been resolved. It cannot be a closed chapter, and when a student fails the examination, that cannot be the end of the story. There must be proper vetting and proper qualification outside the system and process. The Sadc issued the ruling that the Zimbabwe elections did not “It passes the election’s credibility test,” he told NewsDay: “No discredited process can lead to a credible outcome.”
