The President’s position on the matter remains constant since 24 November 2017, when he was inaugurated to see off his predecessor, Robert Mugabe’s term of office. Chamisa’s chameleonic change of positions and conditions for the engagement has made him so much of an insincere engagement partner that every well-meaning Zimbabwean would understand the President’s position on the matter.
ED’s call for talks
When President Mnangagwa was inaugurated on 26 August last year following his electoral victory the previous month, he did not waste the opportunity to call on all Zimbabweans, Chamisa included, to work with him to move the country forward. In addition to his general call, he made a specific one to Chamisa.
“I once again reiterate my call for peace and unity above all. Nelson Chamisa, my door is open and my arms are outstretched, we are one nation and we must put our nation first. Let us all now put our differences behind us. It’s time to move forward together,” the President said during his inauguration speech.
Goat and Jiggies politics
Chamisa spurned the call and even accused the President of stealing his (Chamisa’s) poll victory despite failing to back his charges with irrefutable evidence when he was given the chance to do so by the Constitutional Court during the same month.
“You cannot steal my goats and then ask me to come and share them with you. Give me the goats first, then we can talk about sharing,” Chamisa said when asked by the media if he would take up the President’s offer for dialogue. During the MDC’s 19th anniversary celebration in Harare he told attendees that, “Ndicharamba ndakaruma kusvika ndapihwa maJiggies angu (I’ll keep pressing until I am declared the election winner)”
Realising that his bid to reverse his loss through the courts had hit a brick wall, Chamisa resorted to casting aspersions on the President and his victory as a way of sabotaging him. Although his poll result dispute had effectively been brought to closure by the court, he sought to continue and maintain the disputed election narrative as part of his “tozvidira jecha” sabotage campaign which had its roots in the post- 2013 election “tongai tione” campaign which was driven by a similar motive.
“We cannot resolve these issues with a disputed leader. (President) Mnangagwa is a disputed leader,” Chamisa insisted. He even turned down an invitation to President Mnangagwa’s inauguration.
“A phantom inauguration will not change the reality,” he scornfully said.
Office of the Opposition
The President could have paid Chamisa in his own coin but being the statesman that he is, President Mnangagwa did not give up. He suggested setting up the Office of the Opposition in line with the tradition of the Commonwealth which Zimbabwe has applied to re-join. Chamisa, who was set to lead the Office, again, turned down the offer in his typical attention-grabbing way meant to please his constituency of mainly youths.
“It’s not about individuals, it’s about institution. It’s about ideas that will move the country forward,” he shot down the idea.
Legitimacy
Having laid his foundation by insisting that the election had been stolen, Chamisa went a gear higher by claiming that President Mnangagwa’s win and, therefore, rule was not legitimate. This was calculated to frustrate the President’s efforts to turn around the economy, improve people’s lives and restore normalcy with the international community.
“The first problem (that) we must resolve for this country to move forward is the return to legitimacy,” Chamisa insisted.
Pride and setting conditions
On realising that all his efforts were not bearing any fruits, Chamisa relented and began to soften his stance. In December, he began to realise that he needed to also focus on evaluating the party’s electoral performance and prepare for 2023. He softened his position on the dialogue but insisted on the President knocking on his (Chamisa’s) door instead of the other way round putting into question his sincerity and commitment to the initiative.
Given the foregoing, it is clear that Chamisa remains insincere about the proposed dialogue. To him it is about the President approaching him which he would use to claim that the President has admitted that Zimbabwe cannot move forward without him. President Mnangagwa’s call for dialogue is about fostering unity and never about settling a non-existent dispute as this was taken care of by both the people of Zimbabwe and the Constitutional Court.
It is gratifying that at long last Chamisa now seems to be seeing reason. One, however, fervently hopes that he is coming to the dialogue table in all sincerity. One also hopes that his climb down is now driven by the need to better the people’s lives instead of the selfishness which he has displayed since 30 July.
This concern comes from the fact that he has been using the people’s suffering as a tool to achieve his ambition to rule Zimbabwe by any means – hook or crook. In October last year he visited some fuel service stations armed with a symbolic jerry can not to learn about the situation on the ground and come up with solutions but to amplify that the challenges which Zimbabwe is facing for his own political mileage. He was photographed by the enjoying every moment of it. Even his insistence on the President approaching him is also cause for concern as he can easily phone him and arrange a meeting without any grandstanding. A sincere politician is not difficult to tell.
Chamisa should demonstrate that he is a mature politician by displaying political sincerity for the good of all Zimbabweans. He should understand that what Zimbabwe needs is not a prolonged election dispute but unity.
