The MDC has warned that Zimbabwe is edging closer to instability and chaos unless the state commits to dialogue.
MDC Vice President, Professor Welshman Ncube, observed that the government was pushing people to become more agitated due to its failure to solve the ‘untenable’ economic and political crisis.
In an interview with CITE, Prof Ncube said there was no better alternative to a peaceful resolution of conflict and his party was obligated to call for dialogue.
“We have an obligation as the MDC to continue to call for peaceful resolution because the alternative is violence, chaos, instability and we do not want to go there. Ultimately, when you push people, push them and they see no other alternative resolution of the political question, they will resort to violence in the same way when the Rhodesian state was intransigent,” he said citing how during pre-independence nationalists said enough was enough and resorted to violence to enforce change.
MDC Vice President Prof Welshman Ncube
“We don’t want to go there and we should not go there. As Zimbabwe, we must ask those who wield political power, whether it is worth driving this country to the urge.”
Prof Ncube said the MDC even implored SADC to act as the situation in Zimbabwe was worsening.
“If in fact, the situation has not arisen to the level where it is a threat to the peace and security of the region, it certainly is a threat the peace and security of Zimbabwe, borne out of the August 1, 2018 shootings and the violence in January 2019 Shutdown where we witnessed mass torture and incarceration. The economic implosion itself is also ultimately a threat to the peace and security of this country,” he noted.
“We said to SADC under your own protocols, you need to act preventively at the very least and make sure there’s a resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis. We believe it can only be done through dialogue. It is our understanding that this is the context former South African President Thabo Mbeki comes in to say let’s see we if we can find each other.”
Prof Ncube observed that the current government “not borne of the will of the people but through the barrel of the gun, will never be able to resolve the challenges of this country.”
He emphasised the answer to Zimbabwe’s woes was dialogue, noting the worst of wars were ended by dialogue.
“Zimbabweans must question whether you want to go through chaos before you talk to resolve. Talk you will at some point because dialogue ends all conflict and we are saying let’s not wait for our society to be in absolute conflict to talk.”
Prof Ncube said there was no doubt, everyone agreed Zimbabwe is in crisis.
“We all agree that our political system is not working. That’s why the military had to intervene. We all agree that our economic situation is untenable and currently the government doesn’t have answers for our economic problems because they have roots in political legitimacy. If we are all agreed there’s a problem, surely we must agree to talk about how to resolve the problem,” he underscored.
On the issue of Mbeki’s supposed mediation given that Zimbabweans have expressed reservations for his handling of talks leading to the Government of National Unity in 2009, Prof Ncube said people must not worry about the identity of the mediator but whether the parties would talk.
“It’s not Mbeki’s responsibility or any facilitator but what happens in our face to face dialogue. A facilitator can only nudge us to talk to each other. The question is Mbeki able to facilitate and bring in particular the two main sides namely Zanu PF, captured as it is by the military and the MDC,” he explained.
He added that besides Mbeki is ‘deeply’ familiar with the country’s history, the Global Political Agreement that was not implemented and also knows what went wrong.
The MDC VP stressed that dialogue must include Zanu PF and his party, not other sideshows.
“If we are serious and concerned about addressing the ills of the country, spare me the agony of having to make any comment about POLAD because really every person with common sense knows it is not a serious platform for anything,” Prof claimed.
