PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to unite the country as evidenced by what has become a fragmented and polarised nation under his leadership.
These are sentiments expressed by the newly formed opposition party led by exiled former cabinet minister, Walter Mzembi.
Mzembi, once Tourism as well as Foreign Affairs Minister, skipped the country sometime last year when the state opened corruption charges against him.
The ex-top government official was convinced this was an act of political persecution by Mnangagwa against political rivals he once tussled with for Zanu PF control when the ruling party was still led by late former President Robert Mugabe.
Mzembi has resurfaced with an announcement he was leading the so-christened People’s Party (PP) with aides calling on the current administration to step down to allow Zimbabweans a fresh democratic start.
“With a dysfunctional bureaucracy split along factional lines reminiscent of the pre-coup era which is only kept together by institutional fear, even with this repression a large section of his (Mnangagwa) government is crying for redemption and has lent its support to the People’s Party,” the party’s secretary general Lloyd Msipa said.
He added, “The people are exasperated by the stalemate between the two main parties in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF and MDC, which political gridlock has spanned over 20 years.
“The People are also alarmed by the regression of the democratic progress in the country, which was escalated by the November 2017 military coup which ushered in a military dictatorship.”
Msipa said his party was concerned “the democratic clock has wound the country back to the 1960s when political parties were banned starting with NDP, going forward to Zapu and Zanu”.
He also said citizens have lost hope on the main opposition MDC.
“The People have noted and sympathised with the MDC-A which is now prohibited from assembling, mobilising and organising, but unlike the response of the democratic movements of the 60s, our current opposition movement is at sixes and sevens on how to respond to repression and as a result apart from the token calls for reforms, there is nothing practical in terms of progressing the democratic agenda,” he said.
“The People have also noted the lethargy of the diaspora who seem to have resigned to change only coming from within the country struggle efforts, but have noted that even in the 60s repression gave birth to the external wings supported by neighbouring countries.
“And today economic mismanagement and meltdown has created migrants in the same countries this time in unprecedented disenfranchised numbers.” – Newzimbabwe
