Chamisa says people that demonstrated on 1 August were stupid

Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa may have committed the biggest mistake of his political career today.

He said people who demonstrated for the release of the election results on 1 August were stupid.

The demonstrations became violent with the military being called in and six people were killed that day.

The military has denied killing anyone before the Commission of Inquiry into the violence led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe though post-mortem reports said the people died from gun-shot wounds.

Chamisa who has been invited to give evidence before the commission has argued all along that there was no need for that commission because President Emmerson Mnangagwa could not investigate himself since he is the commander-in-chief of the defence forces and the only person who can deploy soldiers.

At a press conference today, Chamisa said: “In terms of those who demonstrated, the police were there when the people were demonstrating. They must arrest whoever was there because they were with the people who were demonstrating.

“They must not even look at so and so inciting. How do you incite a person? In fact, how do I incite people on the 31^st when I was waiting for elections elsewhere to hear the elections because I was really, and I was sure that they would declare the proper results and I was ready to go to State House.

“So how does a person who is ready to go to State House find time to incite people and mobilise people to go and burn cars of a country that you want to run. Why would I do that?

“This is actually you are talking about an election which has not been declared.  Why would I even react because I don’t even know the election that will be announced.

“It was very stupid even for the people who demonstrated to demonstrate for the results to be released. It was stupid because they then opened themselves for attacks and for manipulation.

“I think whoever demonstrated, they have their right but I feel that it was not called for, and that’s my view. I am not insulting them but I have a right just like any other because it was premature, it was unstrategic and open to be manipulated by the enemies of the people and the enemies of peace, the merchants of violence, the archbishops of violence.”

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