Tafadzwa Mugwadi, the ZANU PF Member of Parliament for Buhera West, who was elected in the recent harmonized elections, has disregarded the engagement efforts of Nelson Chamisa, leader of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), with the SADC and African Union (AU), considering them insignificant. According to Mugwadi, these actions will not impede Zimbabwe from carrying out its affairs.
During an interview with a reporter from Pindula News regarding the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony of President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Monday, Mugwadi stated:
Iwe unogona kungoindawo kuSADC mangwana uchienda nezvichemo zvako semaendero arikufunga kuti anogona kuita hakurambidziwi kuenda. KuSADC kwakangofanana nekumapurisa. Kukamba yemapurisa hakurambidziwi munhu anoda kuendako uyezve ndiye anoziva zvaanenge achinotsvaka ikoko. Asi kanganise mamwe mazuva iwe ukaenda kumapurisa unogona kunobatwa nemhosva uriwe ukadobva wasungwa ikoko mazuva Uye zvaanonotsvaka ikoko hazvinei nekufambiswa kwebasa remunyika yeZimbabwe. VaMnangagwa vatovapo, isu tatovapo samaMP tangomirirawo process yedu. Zvoreva kuti iwe naChamisa makafanana asi makasiyana neni saMember of Parliament, matosiyana naVaMnangagwa semutungamiriri wenyika.
Loosely translated, Mugwadi said:
You (Pindula reporter), and Nelson Chamisa are on equal footing. You have the same opportunity to go to SADC tomorrow and present your grievances, just as he believes he can. No one is prevented from visiting SADC, as it is comparable to a police station where anyone can report their concerns. However, exercise caution, as sometimes reporting an issue to the police can result in your own arrest. Furthermore, Chamisa’s activities at SADC will not impact Zimbabwe’s affairs. President Mnangagwa has already been inaugurated, and we, including myself (Mugwadi) and others, are Members of Parliament awaiting the swearing-in process. This indicates that you and Chamisa are equals, but you are not on equal footing with me as an MP, and neither are you equal to President Mnangagwa.
When asked about the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle, Mugwadi declined to comment, stating that it falls under the president’s jurisdiction and is a task beyond his authority or position.
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The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) initially intended to challenge President Mnangagwa’s re-election in court alleging that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had manipulated the results in favour of the ZANU PF leader. The party later chose not to pursue legal action arguing that the judiciary is compromised in favor of ZANU PF. Previously, the CCC challenged the results of the 2018 presidential election in the Constitutional Court but lost the case, with Chief Justice Luke Malaba ruling that the party failed to provide evidence of election rigging. The party asserts that the ruling was predetermined due to Malaba’s close ties to Mnangagwa, who extended his term by five years without a formal process.
The CCC cites preliminary reports from observer missions that highlight various irregularities during the election. These include the arrest of over 40 activists from civic society organisations, allegations of voter intimidation in rural areas, and significant delays in distributing ballot papers in opposition strongholds. The CCC is now advocating for fresh elections overseen by an “impartial” body such as SADC, AU, or the United Nations, rather than the “biased” ZEC.