ZimRights says the situation in the country has become dire and there was compelling need for all stakeholders to come together outside the political actors to address the crisis which it claims has reached boiling point.
BY MOSES MATENGA
The national director of the human rights defender Dzikamai Bere yesterday told journalists on the sidelines of the media thematic training by Cultural Information Trust in Harare that the situation was out of hand and needed everyone’s involvement to ensure a lasting solution is found.
He said millions of Zimbabweans were affected by the economic crisis that needs immediate attention.
“The dire situation for the people of Zimbabwe currently is the economic situation and the failure by the leadership to resolve the issue of dialogue,” he said.
“I think we have reached a very desperate stage where we continue to call for national dialogue, an inclusive national dialogue and not just dialogue that involves certain political actors of a certain political persuasion. We need everyone involved including those who are directly affected by the crisis in the country.”
Mnangagwa set up the Political Actors Dialogue platform that has been snubbed by main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa who said he would not be part of a “monologue”.
Chamisa is pressing for inclusive dialogue with neutral and trusted mediation, a position supported by Western diplomats who have advised that former South African President Thabo Mbeki should come in as mediator.
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Mbeki was in Harare last December and met Mnangagwa and Chamisa separately to try and bring them together. He had promised to return for further engagements before year end, but failed.
Bere said the imposition of sanctions on State Security minister Owen Ncube and Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Anselem Sanyatwe, who is a former army commander was a no-confidence vote by the West in Mnangagwa’s administration’s reform claims.
Bere said sanctions were not the solution and urged the Zanu PF regime to respect human rights.
“It is certainly not a solution, but also is a vote-of-no-confidence on whatever measures being put in place and you know that the US delivered its human rights report last week.
“It paints a very bad picture and is corroborated by other reports coming from other civic society organisations like the Zimbabwe Peace Project and the NGO Forum. What we are recording from the communities is the increasing state of desperation,” Bere said.
The US released the state of human rights report on Zimbabwe last week and accused the Mnangagwa administration of failure to respect people’s rights as well as account for those involved in shootings of civilians in August 1 2018 and January 2019.
