‘Crisis exists in your head’, Zanu PF tells Chami...

‘Crisis exists in your head’, Zanu PF tells Chamisa

**Zanu PF director for information, Farai Marapira**

Zim Now Writer

Zanu PF has dismissed former opposition Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa’s latest statement that Zimbabwe is in crisis due to unresolved issues surrounding the disputed August 2023 elections, labelling it as “the perennial opposition song”.

Chamisa on Monday issued a statement maintaining his earlier position that the 2023 elections were improperly conducted and produced a manipulated outcome. He has been seeking resolution through the Southern African Development Community, which has yet to respond to his follow-up request.

Zanu PF director for information, Farai Marapira, said the crisis Chamisa talked about existed in “his head”. Marapira added that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was seized with building the nation, not the past plebiscite.

“What Mr Chamisa said today is the perennial opposition song. Where they win an election, they keep quiet. Where they lose, they want to cry foul and claim that there was manipulation of the election process. As Zanu PF, these elections have already come and gone,” Marapira said.

“We are seized with building the nation. Any Zimbabwean can see the efforts that President Mnangagwa is putting into rebuilding Zimbabwe. So, for Chamisa to say we have a crisis in Zimbabwe, the crisis is in his head. He has got a crisis of relevance. A crisis of lacking substance. He does not have relevance anymore in this body politic because he was seized with the politics of toxicity, negativity and confrontationalism instead of politics of togetherness and having a common national purpose.”

In his statement, Chamisa stated the need for a legitimate government chosen by the citizens, citing various challenges facing the country, including a tanking economy, systemic corruption, and disputed national processes. He reiterated his commitment to peaceful resolution and urged citizens to take an active role in determining the country’s destiny.

“It is common knowledge that our country is facing a plethora of problems. Most of them are basic and symptomatic of bad governance, broken politics, and disputed leadership. We have a tanking economy, systemic corruption, 49% of the population living in extreme poverty; US$1.8bn lost to looting annually, US$100m worth of gold smuggled monthly, galloping hyperinflation; half of the population that is food insecure; over 3 million Zimbabweans forced to migrate; 89% unemployment; and disputed national processes and elections,” Chamisa said.

“Only a legitimate government chosen by the citizens has both the confidence and mandate to deliver on their necessities and demands. You voted for a government that would deliver healthcare, energy, water, jobs, stable currency, quality education and other basic services. You know why you voted for change.

“The current challenges of falling to resolve the huge national debt, high inflation, currency distortions, drought, starvation, poverty, poor income, the hostile political environment, an air of sadness and brain drain are all symptoms of a government without a proper mandate. Zimbabwe’s challenges are a direct result of the lack of legitimacy and mandate to govern. A truly elected citizen government is the solution for good governance and service delivery.”

Chamisa dumped the CCC in January this year, alleging that it had been hijacked and captured by the state.