Chamisa not Mbeki spokesperson: Polad
THE Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) has scoffed at MDC-A leader Mr Nelson Chamisa’s sentiments that former South African President Thabo Mbeki was failing to communicate with President Mnangagwa to facilitate dialogue between the ruling Zanu-PF and his party.
Speaking at a Press briefing in Bulawayo last Wednesday, Polad principals said Mr Chamisa was not President Mbeki’s spokesperson, further revealing that the dialogue body was set to meet with the former South African President in the coming two weeks as they continue with their regional and international re-engagement drive.
Speaking at the Bulawayo Press Club last Wednesday, Mr Chamisa claimed that former President Mbeki had told him that President Mnangagwa was neither taking nor returning his calls to discuss the “dialogue”. Polad brings together leaders of political parties that contested in the 2018 elections. Polad thematic sub-committee chairperson of international relations and re-engagement, Mr Kwanele Hlabangana said they were not going to be sidetracked by the opposition leader’s misleading statements noting that their re-engagement drive was on course.
“I do not think President Mbeki suddenly has a new spokesperson in the form of Chamisa, as far as we are concerned dialogue is moving smoothly actually, I can tell you that in the coming two weeks as Polad we will be meeting with President Mbeki, so I wonder what Chamisa is talking about. Further, we believe there is a misguided option that dialogue is about individuals, that is President Mnangagwa and Chamisa, which is not true, it’s about political organisations,” said Mr Hlabangana.
Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba on Friday also ridiculed Mr Chamisa’s sentiments revealing that President Mnangagwa and President Mbeki had actually met at the recent African Union Summit in Ethiopia.
“I don’t know what he was referring to, he is not a member of the Mbeki house as far as I know or is he a member of the Mnangagwa household, so he wouldn’t know what goes on between the two of them. In reality, the two met briefly on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa and had a bit of a chat and I can assure you that the President of Zimbabwe, out of courtesy, updated the former President of South Africa on the developments in the country,” Mr Charamba is quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Mr Hlabangana dismissed media reports that Polad had already squandered US$5 million on international trips revealing that the dialogue body had not been outside the country but had thus far limited their dialogue to diplomatic missions in the country.
“As we engage, we will be meeting a number of stakeholders in the diplomatic community, interestingly I hear in the media that we are globetrotting and spending US$5 million, let me assure you that is hot air, we haven’t even taken a single trip outside Zimbabwe. The only engagements we have done so far was to engage the diplomatic community local here in Harare, so far we have met with the US ambassador Brian Nichols, we have met also with the British ambassador (Melanie Robinson), we have met with the EU ambassador (Timo Olkkonen) and we also had a discussion with UNDP,” he said.
He further reiterated that unlike what was being peddled by Mr Chamisa and those opposed to the workings of Polad, they were not an extension of Government.
“Polad is not there to rubber stamp everything being done by the Government, we raise our concerns, we make our recommendations, we urge Government to do certain things because the whole idea is to have Zimbabwe rejoin the family of nations. We have a work plan that we have laid down in the next few weeks, we will be visiting certain nations, starting with the region, where we will be meeting various leaders in South Africa, then we will engage Sadc in Botswana basically doing what international re-engagement is all about,” said Mr Hlabangana.