PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa may have lied when he claimed he had received requests from “some” of the parties that walked out on his Political Actors Dialogue early this year citing lack of commitment and transparency.
Mnangagwa told a POLAD meeting late last week that some of those that initially walked away have requested to come back “because they see value in what we are doing.”
“I have received inquiries from some political parties outside the dialogue, who were once here and left, who want to come back, but I have told them to go to the conveners,” said Mnangagwa.
He did not identify the parties concerned by name.
Three opposition political parties that initially joined responded to Mnangagwa’s call for dialogue involving all presidential candidates to last year’s elections but later moved out have indicated they have not approached the President.
The three Build Alliance Zimbabwe (BAZ) led by Noah Manyika, Alliance for People’s Agenda (APA) fronted by former Industry Minister Nkosana Moyo and Daniel Shumba’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) told New Zimbabwe.com in separate interview that they have not made any efforts to return to POLAD.
Said Shumba: “No. We are not part of POLAD and we will not be part of it until it is inclusive of all stakeholders that include civil society and all political parties.”
Shumba pulled of out the dialogue end February citing lacking of credibility adding the process was “insincere, choreographed, and highly compromised.”
In March, Moyo lead APA’s walkout indicating the process appeared to be “very misconceived and a mischievous attempt at divide and rule.”
“Not us, we are not rejoining the National Dialogue,” Moyo said.
BAZ losing presidential candidate Noah Manyika also refuted the claim.
“No. don’t know who is he ( Mngangagwa) is talking about,” said Manyika.
Mnangagwa was responding to questions drawn from listeners of State run radio who wanted to know why he has not made an effort to bring in MDC leader Nelson Chamisa to dialogue.
The President declared “I cannot take a bulldozer or grader to go and pull him (Chamisa) out of his home to come to dialogue. He is a political leader and I have invited all political leaders to dialogue. I don’t believe anyone is special. The table is still open.”
Chamisa, Mnangagwa;s closest rival in last year’s elections has refused to recognise the Zanu PF leader as legitimate President of Zimbabwe arguing he was the beneficiary of fraud.
The MDC leader has instead demanded a mediated dialogue platform between him and Mnangagwa arguing the other parties “are praise singers.”
Source: Newzimbabwe
