MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa vowed that his party will not surrender its name to the MDC faction led by Thokozani Khupe, threatening to take a radical action to the onslaught against them by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.
This follows a declaration by the Khupe led MDCT that they would use the name MDC Alliance in by elections scheduled to be held on the 5th of December to replace MPs and councilors which they recalled on the bases of siding with Chamisa.
Chamisa who have been quiet for some months since the distablisation of his party said he would not give up on his party name during a virtually rally address celebrating the MDC’s 21st anniversary.
“I am happy that we are consulting members countrywide. We are MDC alliance. We are a baobab tree. You can’t cut MDC alliance with a razor. We refuse to be swallowed. We cannot change our name at the insistence of Zanu-PF,” Chamisa said.
Secretary General for MDC Aliance, Charlton Hwende told audiences that the party’s 203 districts had opted for the party to retain MDC Alliance name after consulttions.
Chamisa whose supporters have been increasingly impatient as they wanted to see a drastic action from the youthful leader has now promised “radical” action against President Mnangagwa, saying he has been quiet and now was the time to take the war to the ZanuPF leader.
Chamisa was quoted saying, “The first plan we have is a political settlement. Some people are saying why are you not demonstrating; but we have reached here be we know what we are doing.”
“We know what we want to fight for. We want to fight for a people’s government because what we have is not a people’s government,” he added.
“Do not be scared, the struggle is in good shape. If we had two million (people) now we have doubled. We have not shut down the country because we do not want to do so,” assured his supporters Chamisa.
Tendai Biti had also warned before Chamisa’s speech that, “Section 59 of the Constitution allows us to demonstrate. Your days are numbered. We are coming for you.”
“We have been founded on the fight for democracy, on the roots of fighting for freedom… The fight is not ended and until we destroy all attempts to make Zimbabwe a one party state, we will not rest. Mnangagwa will not control us. He wants to control all of us, but he will not manage that,” Claimed Chamisa
He continued, “We have given peace a chance, but some have been disrespectful of this. We have been founded on the roots of fighting for freedom. This fight has not ended.”
We have given dialogue a chance, but some perceive our call for dialogue as a weakness. We have given democracy a chance, but some feel an election which is stolen means that we will capitulate and we are surrendering to the electoral fraud. Democracy is under attack, citizens are under attack, all of us are under attack.
One way I must tell you of looking into this is that when we are under attack, this is an opportunity to organise everything. So we are calling on all Zimbabweans, now forget about your political parties, and now forget about your churches, organisations, student movements, any other belonging. Let’s remember that we are all under the banner of Zimbabwe.
Let’s unite, let’s unite. In the next coming days change is coming. Be part of it. That is why as leadership, we are not panicking. The walls of Jericho are falling. Don’t lose sleep.
Chamisa said Sadc and the international community were now on the side of suffering Zimbabweans. He commended the South African ruling ANC for initiating mediation into the country’s crisis.
“We need to mobilise from Cape to Cairo so that there is consensus on the issue of Zimbabwe to support the democratic struggle in the country until it thrives,” said Chamisa.
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