Mnangagwa Has Taken Smith, Mugabe Template: Chamisa

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Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa has castigated President Emmerson Mnangagwa for taking late former President Robert Mugabe and Ian Douglas Smith’s template of incarcerating members of the opposition.

Chamisa made the remarks whilst addressing journalists at Harare Magistrates Court where he had attended the bail application hearing of the 25 party supporters who were arrested last week for convening an unsanctioned meeting in Harare’s Budiriro suburb.

“We have seen honourable Sikhala imprisoned for over seven months now we have honourable Chibaya, Machingauta and many of our leaders from Budiriro who are change champions. What is clear is that my brother Mr Mnangagwa is back to his old ways, he is panicking, he is jittery, he knows that the writing is on the wall and defeat is imminent and this is why he is resorting to desperate tactics of fighting what is inevitable-change is coming and change is in the air and because they are so scared of the change, they are so scared of our strength.

“We are just one year old today, we announced on the 24th (January 2022) that we are now a new movement they thought that they had finished us. They have used every tactic assassinations, bribery, intimidations arrests and they have not worked. We are here which is evidence that Zimbabwe is broken and the rule of law has departed us and we are orphaned in leadership.

“We are in a famine and drought of leadership as people because governance has broken down and because Mr. Mnangagwa is on a rampage, he has taken from the template of Robert Mugabe and Ian Douglas Smith autocracy and dictatorship and that is what we are fighting and we are determined to fight them to the end because we believe that peace is always victorious and we are peace loving people and it’s not because we are weak it’s just because we love Zimbabwe better,” said Chamisa.

Arrests and politically motivated violence against opposition members have been on the increase in the country ahead of this year’s harmonised elections.