AN extremist masquerading as political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya has warned the opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa to be worry of repeating the same mistake that his predessesor Morgan Tsvangirai did when he joined alliance with Zanu PF then led by Robert Mugabe.
The warning come after former South African President Thabo Mbiki was seen in Harare where he reportedly met Chamisa and also met President Emmerson Mnangagwa in what is believed to be the beginning of talks between the two rival leaders.
“Once beaten, twice shy. The MDC led by @nelsonchamisa should apply its wits in rational, logical, robust, rigorous ways taking into account how it was duped in the GNU President Mbeki brokered that led to MDC crashing defeat in 2013. Never be excitable. Calm down, cool heads,” Ruhanya tweeted.
Mbeki was the Chief mediator during the global political agreement which saw Zanu PF and MDC forming a government of national unity in 2009. He stands accused of negotiating with more favour towards Zanu PF.
Former president Thabo Mbeki has held talks with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to try to help end the nation’s political crisis.
Mbeki, in Zimbabwe at Mnangagwa’s invitation, met Chamisa and Mnangagwa separately on Monday and will meet other political leaders on Tuesday, Tendai Biti, a deputy president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said by phone from Harare.
The MDC has refused to recognise Mnangagwa as the nation’s legitimate ruler since he was elected president in July 2018, and has called for an outside mediator to help resolve its differences with the governing party.
Zimbabwe is grappling with a drought, power and fuel shortages, and annual inflation estimated at 440%, the second-highest in the world.
“I think it’s very important that the region comes behind the president and the country because the challenges of Zimbabwe are our challenges,” Mbeki was quoted as saying by the state-owned Herald newspaper.
Mbeki mediated in Zimbabwe’s post-election crisis in 2008 between former President Robert Mugabe and then-opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, which resulted in the formation of a five-year power-sharing government.
While the opposition welcomes efforts to end the country’s political crisis, Mbeki doesn’t have a mandate to mediate in the talks, Biti said.
Calls to government spokesperson Nick Mangwana were not answered when seeking comment.
