Chamisa calls his supporters ‘stupid’
HARARE Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party leader Nelson Chamisa has had to apologise to his supporters for calling them “stupid” for taking to the streets on August 1 to protest a delay in poll results, resulting in a deadly army crackdown. Chamisa made the comments at a press conference on Thursday at which he said he would not appear before a commission of enquiry into the violence unless President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his two vice presidents did too. “My remarks to condemn those who killed or injured the innocent, burnt cars and destroyed property on 1 August used ‘words’ that regrettably created the wrong impression,” Chamisa wrote on Twitter after a storm of criticism on social media erupted. “The people have a constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully. Any discomfort caused is sincerely regretted,” he said. At Thursday’s press conference Chamisa denied that the MDC was behind the violent protests on August 1, that saw vehicles belonging to Zanu-PF torched and their Harare offices stoned. The army responded by shooting dead six civilians. Chamisa said the demonstrators had opened themselves up to manipulation. “It was very stupid even for people who demonstrated, to demonstrate for the results to be released. It was stupid because they then opened themselves to attacks and manipulation,” Chamisa said. “It is their right but I feel that it was not called for and that is my view,” he said, in comments carried by New Zimbabwe. The comments were immediately condemned by Zimbabweans on social media, who accused the MDC leader of disrespecting and betraying his supporters. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Thokozani Khupe has reportedly called for “unity of purpose” among various stakeholders as the country battles a battered economy. According to DailyNews, Khuphe, who leads the breakaway faction of the MDC, said she told her party representatives in parliament to engage and offer President Mnangagwa’s government ideas. Khupe’s remarks came less than a month after her rival Chamisa from the MDC Alliance called for a transnational government to resolve the worsening economic and political crisis engulfing the country.