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Chamisa cranks up pressure on ED

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THE opposition MDC, led by Nelson Chamisa, is planning to roll out spontaneous protests in the country’s urban and rural centres to happen concurrently in order to pile up pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to address the multi-layered political and economic crises in the country.

BY BRENNA MATENDERE

THE opposition MDC, led by Nelson Chamisa, is planning to roll out spontaneous protests in the country’s urban and rural centres to happen concurrently in order to pile up pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to address the multi-layered political and economic crises in the country.

Addressing scores of party supporters at Mkoba 6 shopping centre in Gweru on Sunday, MDC national organising secretary Amos Chibaya said there were plans to have the protests happening at the same time in all the major centres of the country.

“I want to say this to the police and CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation] operatives, we are currently putting together branch structures in all areas in the country. The purpose is to ensure smooth communication to our people on the plan of protests that we have. We want to say if we tell one person in a village or street to pass the message, that word will spread fast to everyone in the area,” he said.

“The message will be announcing the date and time for all the people to converge in major public centres for fresh sustained protests. We will no longer just focus on Harare. We want to have a situation where while in Harare protests are burning, in Chivi, Gweru and other areas similar demonstrations will be happening at the same time.”

The top MDC official, who has had the brush with police over protests in the past, said he was not deterred by the harsh experiences.

“The people are suffering. We no longer fear to be arrested. In fact, doing so has hardened us. We want to see if the police can arrest the whole of Zimbabwe,” he said.

Chibaya reiterated the need for talks between Chamisa and Mnangagwa to end the worsening political and economic stand-off.

He said the only option Mnangagwa had outside of dialogue with Chamisa in order to solve the country’s multi-layered crisis was to resign.

“Mnangagwa must leave that chair (presidency) or talk to Chamisa. We want a neutral venue for the talks. We must not be invited to go to State House for the talks. What for?”

“Our icon president Morgan Tsvangirai used to say tonga tione (you can rule but you are doomed) but we are going a step further to say hayivhiyiwi. Do you think Tsvangirai left the party in wrong hands? I do not think so,” Chibaya said.