George Charamba, the Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications), said that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has closed the door to any dialogue with opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.
Charamba’s remarks came in response to an appeal by economist Gift Mugano, who had called on Zimbabweans across the political divide to engage in dialogue to resolve the country’s pressing problems.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Mugano argued that Zimbabweans have overcome their challenges in the past when they united. He wrote:
Fellow Zimbabweans, we have it on record that when we sit down and dialogue as Zimbabweans, we make progress as a country.
Striking examples of what dialogue can do are the talks between ZANU and ZAPU; and ZANU PF and MDC which produced the 1987 Unity Accord and GNU, respectively.
Likewise, we have it on record that when we unite, we move mountains. We united as one people against the Smith Regime and defeated them during our hard-won armed struggle.
Demonstrations will not help us to resolve our differences/challenges. Likewise, crackdown on citizens will not help us to resolve our challenges/differences…
I appeal to our leaders from the business community, churches, civil society, political parties, GOZ, academics, labour, etc to rise to the challenge and provide leadership towards the establishment of an inclusive dialogue aimed at providing permanent solutions to our differences/challenges.
Doubling down on his rejection of dialogue with opposition Chamisa, Charamba dismissed the prospect, saying the ship has already sailed for dialogue.
Charamba accused Mugano and human rights lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu of “misleading” Chamisa, which Charamba claimed ultimately drove the opposition figure into the political “wilderness.” Said Charamba:
Professor, here is my honest view from inside: Nguva yataida nhaurirano yakapfuura. That’s the truth. Those keen on talks took up the chance and are communicating with the State.
Those who chose to stay out of dialogue because of cheap advice from you naAdvocate Fulcrum, will remain outside the circuit of dialogue.
What you are harvesting are the disutilities of your amateurish political exuberance in the run-up to elections.
You fortified Chamisa on the wrong; today he is the wilderness you created, and you want to sound constructive, reasonable and level-headed.
You are part of the cabal of pseudo-intellectuals who misled the young man. Today you seek to salve your conscience by abortively appearing to re-negotiate for his Second Coming. IT CAN’T!
Chamisa has been without a political home since January of this year when he abruptly announced that he had quit the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party – the same organisation he had helped form in 2022 – alleging that it had been infiltrated by the ruling ZANU PF party.
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