Tsvangirai says people must now refuse to be abused by Mugabe

Zimbabweans must refuse to be abused by President Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and must take courageous action to force Mugabe to go back to the people, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said in Gweru yesterday.

Tsvangirai said Mugabe’s administration was incapable of turning around the country’s fortunes. The only way to get out of this quagmire was to take courageous action and refuse to be abused.

“Do you think we stand a chance to get to 2018 with the current national leadership?” he asked. “We cannot wait till 2018 given the state of the nation. We have been taken to a hard place because of Mugabe and ZANU-PF. To get out of this quagmire, we ought to take courageous action and refuse to be abused.”

He said that people should remain focused on what the problem of Zimbabwe is and find a solution to dealing with the issue.

“Whether he likes it or not, we are going to force Mugabe to go back to the people because the people need solutions and they need to be consulted. It is about time Mugabe and ZANU-PF understand that the nation is in a crisis and they need to act.

“The people need to know how to end corruption. The people need to know what the so called government is doing for all the children who are coming out of schools. People want to know what this failed government is doing to ensure jobs are created. But we all know this government is incapable of transforming this nation into a prosperous nation that it is. We have natural resources that are benefiting a few and this has to change,” Tsvangirai said.

This is the second time within a week that Tsvangirai has called on the people to take action against Mugabe. Some ZANU-PF supporters wanted him arrested for calling for an uprising but Information Minister Jonathan Moyo brushed this off as a cheap publicity stunt.

Moyo said Tsvangirai was now history. There was nothing he could do today that he had failed to do over the past 15 years.

MDC Statement:

Monday, 07 April 2014

Zanu PF has failed the nation: President Tsvangirai

The MDC agenda is to remove Zanu PF and Mugabe from the helm of the nation as they have failed to manage and improve the lives of the people, President Tsvangirai has said. Speaking to a bumper crowd at Mkoba Stadium on Sunday, President Tsvangirai said it was about time the people take back the power from a few elitist politicians and run the affairs of the nation.

“Zanu PF stole the election of July 2013. They stole the people’s voice. They stole the people’s power and it is high time they give that power back to the people. You must courageously take back that power,” said President Tsvangirai.

Zanu PF in the last election committed serious electoral fraud that left many, including many Zanu PF candidates miffed by the outcome of that election. He added that because of the crisis of legitimacy that Zanu PF created, it was impossible for this corrupt lot to deal with the economic challenges faced by this nation.

“Do you think we stand a chance to get to 2018 with the current national leadership? We can not wait till 2018 given the state of the nation. We have been taken to a hard place because of Mugabe and Zanu PF. To get out of this quagmire, we ought to take courageous action and refuse to be abused. He said that people should remain focused on what the problem of Zimbabwe is and find a solution to dealing with the issue.

“Whether he likes it or not, we are going to force Mugabe to go back to the people because the people need solutions and they need to be consulted. It is about time Mugabe and Zanu PF understand that the nation is in a crisis and they need to act. The people need to know how to end corruption. The people need to know what the so called government is doing for all the children who are coming out of schools. People want to know what this failed government is doing to ensure jobs are created. But we all know this government is incapable of transforming this nation into a prosperous nation that it is. We have natural resources that are benefiting a few and this has to change,” he said.

He further stated that it is imperative for the nation to create opportunities for every citizen of this country.”Every Zimbabwean has opportunity they must exploit in their lifetime, so we must create these opportunities,” he said.

Speaking at the same rally, Vice President Thokozani Khupe said the MDC remained focused on the founding objectives of the party to bring freedom and democracy to the people. She highlighted that though the people’s hopes and aspirations where dashed by the massive vote theft that took place in July 2013, there was need for the people to remain focused.

“The journey has been long and it continues. But the challenge we have is for the future generation. We need to create for them a better platform to explore opportunities. We have to take charge of the process to create those opportunities so that our nation’s status is restored. The years of plunder must come to an end now, that is why we seem to be in a worse situation than we have been before,” she said.

The National Chairperson, Hon Lovemore Moyo urged the party to remain united in order to take down Zanu PF. He said the people of Zimbabwe are yet to experience real freedom, 34 years after Independence. “We appreciate that there is no one who has a right to determine other people’s destinies, that is why we formed this party. The struggle can not be personalized. Destroying the MDC is destroying all the people’s aspirations. We are not the kind of people who takes people halfway then abandon them,” he said. He added that the party must not be divided again and that there should be organisational renewal after which a congress will be held and due process followed.

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