President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba today said Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa is now desperate for dialogue but he cannot set any conditions for talks.
Chamisa in his Hope of the Nation Address yesterday called for dialogue but said this should be outside the Political Actors Dialogue which he described as a side show saying the main show was talks between his party and the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
Some 18 political parties that fielded presidential candidates in last year’s elections are involved in POLAD.
Chamisa said he was not interested in a government of national unity but said he advocated a transitional authority to pave way for genuine elections, a thing that was immediately thrown out by Charamba and ZANU-PF spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo as it questions the legitimacy of Mnangagwa.
“Clearly, the young man is mistakenly believing that he embodies the hope of this nation yet in reality he is a politician suffering a fast diminishing profile and influence, ”Charamba told the Chronicle.
“Secondly, he doesn’t realise that he who begs for talks cannot set and choose the conditions.”
The Presidential spokesman said: “POLAD is the only framework and there is no other. Let that point be driven home. POLAD incorporates all political players as equals regardless of organisational status or results of 2018 elections.
“Chamisa cannot at one level demand talks between equals while at the same time creating exclusion and inequality for others.
“POLAD will not involve outsiders. It’s a national dialogue managed nationally and involving nationals of Zimbabwe. It does not resurrect the political question which was long decided in 2018 elections.
“It merely enlists the collective national mind in resolving the burning questions which are economic and diplomatic.”
On the transitional authority, Charamba said: “Anyone dreaming about transitional nonsense and GNU are men and women of yesterday. GNU closed in 2013 and Chamisa cannot wish for a GNU.”
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