Zimbabwe's President Calls for Unity on 41st Independence Day
HARARE, ZIMABABWE - Zimbabwe’sPresident Emmerson Mnangagwa called for unity asthe countrymarked41 years of independence on Sunday.But the presidentalsoaccused the opposition leader of being destructive, and the opposition fired right back, saying the president and his party are violentagainst the people.
In awide-ranginginterview aired on national television to mark the country’sindependence, President Emmerson Mnangagwa called on Zimbabweans to unite so that the country can prosper.
Asked about Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, the 78-year-oldleader said,"Well,you have mentioned this one Zimbabwean, you forget that him and his vice president[Tendai Biti]went to America to ask for sanctions to continue to be imposed on Zimbabwe.So,before they cut thatcord with the Americans it is difficult to be proper Zimbabweans!I still believe thatMr.Chamisais a young Zimbabwean, he stillhasthat opportunity to positively to contribute to his country if he puts aside the vision for violent demonstrations against his country, being destructive.”
Independence celebrations were muted this year with most of the usual festivities canceleddue to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Clifford Hlatshwayo,thespokesmanforthe oppositionMovement for Democratic Change Alliance, dismissed the remarks by Mnangagwa saying his party was more peaceful than the rulingZANU-PF.
"MDC Alliance has been the victims of violence. The people of Zimbabwe are victims of violence perpetrated byZANU-PF!Orchestrated,organizedand sponsored byZANU-PF government! It is an open secret that Mnangagwa andZANU-PF are the archbishops of violence, they’re archbishops of causing harm within the Zimbabwean communities,”Hlatshwayo said.
For the past two decades, Zimbabwe’s government has often used force to shut down opposition rallies and protestsand intimidate MDC supporters ahead of elections. The violence triggeredWestern sanctions against Zimbabwean officials and their allies that have yet to be lifted.
There werevaryingreactions to Mnangagwa’s accusation of the opposition as a violent party.Twenty-seven-year-oldStallos Sithole dismissed the call for unity.
"So,for Emmerson in my view to say that we want unity he has been the center of violence. For the past 41 years Zimbabwe has never seen peaceful elections,has never hadanuninterrupted decade without violence,so we have always been engaged inthesevicious cycles of violence.For Emmerson to operate as a peace builder and someone who can unify aggressive forces is utterdrossandhogwashfor me as a young person,”Sithole said.
Lameck Shiri is a vegetable vendor in Harare.
Shiri said, "So,the president’s interview, the independence interview to me it shows that Zimbabweans are a diverse people because there are someissues,he discussed which are generally full of loopholes but at the same time, there are other issues which he addressed which show that there have been some strides that have been made by theZANU-PF government under Mnangagwa though on the little political freedom and expression of free speech has been curtailed.”
Mnangagwa, who took over from the late Robert Mugabe in 2017, says Zimbabweans are now enjoying more rights and freedoms than under his predecessor. In his Independence Day address, Mnangagwa promised a brighter and more prosperous Zimbabwe.
VOA
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