OPPOSITION politician Nelson Chamisa says he is not desperate to become the country’s next leader, insisting his greatest concern is ending the national governance crisis.
He argues this crisis has fuelled mass migration to South Africa and contributed to the ongoing xenophobic attacks targeting Zimbabweans.
Speaking to NewsDay regarding the situation in South Africa, Chamisa linked the attacks on foreign nationals to what he described as Zimbabwe’s unresolved political and governance challenges following the disputed August 2023 general election.
“What you are seeing in South Africa is a dramatisation and manifestation of the ugly head of the crisis — the Zimbabwe governance crisis. Because Zimbabwe is uninhabitable,” Chamisa said.
“Those of us who are still here must just be given trophies and medals. It’s so difficult.
“It’s so tough. We have more able-bodied people outside Zimbabwe than those who are in Zimbabwe.”
He said the country’s deteriorating economic conditions have left many young Zimbabweans with no option, but to seek opportunities abroad.
“Every Zimbabwean who has just finished school or has reached the age of majority is queuing for a passport to look for a visa to go out of the country,” the founding Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader said.
- Young vocalist making southern Africa dance
- Chamisa party defiant after ban
- Village Rhapsody: How Zimbabwe can improve governance
- News in depth: Partisan police force persecutes opposition, shields Zanu PF rogue elements
Keep Reading
“That cannot be normal. Any serious leader cannot sleep peacefully in those circumstances.”
Chamisa also criticised attempts to extend presidential terms through the proposed Constitution Amendment No. 3 Bill (CAB 3), describing the move as insensitive, while the governance crisis remains unresolved.
“If you want to extend your term illegally — a term which is also contestable — that is the highest level of insensitivity,” the 2018 and 2023 presidential candidate added.
“We have sent the necessary communication to all who care to hear us so that we may address this problem.
“But when you are not dealing with sincere people, it’s always a problem.
“They think some of us are desperate. I am not desperate to be the president of Zimbabwe.
“I am desperate to have Zimbabwe function well. I am desperate to have a functional economy.
“I am desperate to have a government that is responsive and accountable to the people. I am desperate to be a citizen of a proud country.
“That is my desperation. It is not at a personal level, but it is a collective desperation.
“That is the same desperation any patriot would have to see our country doing better.”
Chamisa stated he has continued engaging the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) over Zimbabwe’s post-election dispute, revealing that his team has written five letters to the regional bloc seeking intervention.
He argued that CAB 3 was built on what he considers an illegitimate political foundation.
“Passing CAB 3 is just an attempt to evade accountability. It is an attempt to elude the legitimate question,” he said.
Chamisa, however, stressed that while Sadc could facilitate dialogue, Zimbabweans themselves ultimately carry the responsibility for resolving the country’s political crisis.
He called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to embrace an inclusive national dialogue that would produce both a constitutional and political settlement.
“We have the capacity to resolve our issues,” Chamisa said.
“Stop this septic nonsense. Stop this rigging of elections. Disband this nonsense and have the sense of proper governance and a settlement,” he said.
“That settlement must be a constitutional settlement and a political settlement that speaks to electoral reforms, transitional issues around national healing, justice, humanitarian support, stopping economic haemorrhaging, stopping corruption, and implementing an immigrant rescue programme to deal with this galloping unemployment and this endemic poverty affecting almost 49% of the population.”
Chamisa also stated he would not seek to derive political mileage from the repatriation of Zimbabweans fleeing xenophobic violence in South Africa, insisting the humanitarian crisis should not be exploited for partisan gain.
