President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said all opposition leaders in Zimbabwe are free to approach him through the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) platform and should not use proxies, the media, and third parties.
This is despite the fact that Mnangagwa met MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora at State House in January 2022 outside POLAD.
Mwonzora, who was controversially elected MDC-T president, was not a POLAD member when he met Mnangagwa to present his proposals for national dialogue.
Mnangagwa has refused to meet Nelson Chamisa, who is the leader of arguably the country’s largest opposition party, CCC.
In an interview with the Third Eye and Brick By Brick magazines this week, Mnangagwa said he was open to meeting the country’s opposition leaders. He said:
He goes to the press to want to talk to me, if you want to talk to me, come to me, not the press.
I will not reply to statements in the press. A solid leader knows what to do if you want to talk to a colleague.
POLAD is a dialogue platform created by Mnangagwa following calls for the need for dialogue with the opposition to find solutions for the country’s problems.
Mnangagwa launched the platform on 17 May 2019, with 17 leaders of political parties that contested in the July 2018 elections in attendance.
More: Pindula News