Editorial Comment
IT is no surprise that opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has dumped the push for foreign-mediated talks for a home-grown solution involving him and President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The young opposition leader rightly observed, the situation in the country demands a home-grown solution that cannot be mortgaged to outsiders.
For a country that boasts of having one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, it is surprising that we should require the intervention of outsiders to sit down and discuss issues that will take our country forward.
South Africa may have played a critical role in bringing the late former President Robert Mugabe, MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai (also late) and Arthur Mutambara together, but that was then. In fact, we should have drawn lessons from that experience and realised we can do it even alone.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is a foreigner, and both Mnangagwa and Chamisa should be aware of the real, every day lived experience of ordinary Zimbabweans struggling to make it through each day, and that should be sufficient inspiration for them to swallow their pride and sit down to discuss a way forward for the country.
If the economic situation in the country could be stabilised during the era of the Global Political Agreement that brought these very same political parties together, nothing should stop the current leaders from taking a similar route.
Leaders that are true and genuine should not have a problem with setting aside their personal ambitions and egos for the betterment of the population. In fact, that is a true mark of leadership.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
But it would appear some of our leaders are content with the chaos prevailing at the moment because it enables them to line their pockets with filthy lucre, while the rest of the population wallows in abject poverty.
Zimbabwe has always had some much promise for political stability and economic prosperity, and it would be to the shame of the current leadership if they do not fix the current situation.
Given the fact that the Political Actors Dialogue has been discredited as none of the members — with the exception of Mnangagwa — has even a single member in Parliament, wisdom should compel the President to consider real dialogue that will have the buy-in of the majority of Zimbabweans, many of whom have long lost faith in his leadership qualities given how the situation in the country — which had stabilised somewhat under Mugabe — has continued to deteriorate.
As long as these leaders continue to pursue personal agendas, then things are unlikely to change. Something needs to be done as a matter of urgency.
