MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa revealed that he now fears for his life after he was twice harassed by state security agents over the weekend.
Chamisa was allegedly denied entry into the National Sports Stadium o Saturday for him to attend a tribute concert for the late national hero Oliver Mtukudzi. He was also blocked from accessing Mtukudzi’s homestead in Madziwa the following day by soldiers and police officers manning the gates. Said Chamisa:
My life is now in danger because the hatred has now reached another level. Sadly, that is based on fear and you know what, all fearful people are dangerous. The behaviour that they are demonstrating shows that they can do anything.
Chamisa said that he is open to dialogue. He, however, condemned President Emmerson Mnangagwa for saying things on social media but then acting differently. He said:
In politics, you do not read the lips of a politician you read the actions. You can hear someone talk but the walk is different…
Dialogue is important. There is no national progress without an honest conversation, we need to look at the character and content of our objectives, you cannot have international engagement without national conversation, you cannot look for friends internationally without looking for friends in your country, you cannot move around saying Zimbabwe is open for anything when Zimbabwe is divided, where there is division and the vision is empty.
There must be dialogue; this dialogue is not about power. There are misguided elements who think a certain party needs dialogue more than others. That is wrong; the dialogue is good for the nation.
In uncivilised countries, people lose lives on account of politics but in civilised democracies politics save a life; why should we lose life in order to have a dialogue if we can have a dialogue first?
There have been growing calls for Zimbabwe’s protagonists to engage in dialogue to extricate the country from the economic quagmire it has sunk.