MDC president Nelson Chamisa is in Gaborone, Botswana, where he is visiting as part of the party’s regional engagements. Writing on social media, Chamisa said:
I’m grateful for the warm welcome I have received in Gaborone where I’m currently visiting as part of our regional engagements as we seek an urgent solution to our challenges as Zimbabweans. We are part of the bigger African family, African counsel and support is fundamental.
I’m also humbled by the kindness and empathy shown by our neighbours at a time of tragedy in Zimbabwe. We are one people and we share the burden of our challenges. That is why we engage and share counsel, helping us see the whole picture and our respective place and role in it.
Meanwhile, the MDC has issued a statement saying there are three SADC countries which were hard hit by Cyclone Idai. Thousands of lives have been lost in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Many people are still uncounted for, thousands are homeless, and survivors are facing many huddles in getting themselves on their feet once more. They face starvation with no water to drink, they were subjected to serious psychological torture resulting in psychological inflammation.
Citizens of SADC countries also coordinated themselves to assist fellow countrymen.
We are of the view that an urgent extra-ordinary summit of SADC should be convened with the view to do the following:
1. To set up an intervention framework to deal with urgent needs including food, health, shelter and essential infrastructure.
2. To review the challenges faced by the department on disaster management at SADC and provide necessary support.
3. To deal with rescue missions specifically in countries lacking in capacity.
4. To put in place urgent mitigation and management measures with information of yet another storm looming.
These being purely people issues, the MDC hopes the absence of the cynicism that comes from perpetual immersion in the region’s plague
