APFJOHANNESBURG – The leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC, Nelson Chamisa, says by threatening him with arrest President Mnangagwa’s government is trying to destroy the party and cause chaos in the country.
Chamisa turned down an invitation to testify before the Kgalema Mothlante Commission about the 1 August army killings of six people.
Testifying before the Motlanthe Commission early this week Zimbabwe police chief Godwin Matanga alleged Chamisa incited streets violence that led to the killing of six people after losing the 30 July elections.
But addressing journalists in Harare, Chamisa said his arrest won’t remove the Zimbabwe peoples’ will for change.
“I would like to say crime does not rot like meat, the records are there to tell, and anytime he can be arrested,” said Matanga.
Meanwhile, Chamisa said: “Tell you what, you can arrest Chamisa that’s not arresting the problem. This nation is deeply divided. There was no need for a commission of inquiry if there was no crisis in this country. It tells you there’s a crisis. We have deep-seated divisions in this country which cannot been resolved by this kind of tomfoolery tactics.”
Chamisa said Mnangagwa’s script is to make sure there are no forces to challenge him which is why the security forces have labelled the MDC as an enemy of the state and a terrorist organisation.
“To call us a terrorist organisation, where have you seen a terrorist organization with headquarters along the same road with Parliament of Zimbabwe? Where have you seen a terrorist organisation that will use placards to engage the government instead of using arms of war. We believe in democratic tools such as demonstrations. Where have you seen a terrorist organisation that believes in rallies? We’ve got rallies because those are democratic tools. We are not like ISIS, al-Shabaab or Boko Haram who have headquarters in the mountains, we have headquarters in this house because we believe in democracy,” he said.
The MDC leader is mobilising nationwide protests over the worsening economic crisis in Zimbabwe.
In the past few months the country has been hit by a serious economic meltdown which left it grappling with shortages of basic commodities, foreign currency, medicine and fuel.
