By A Correspondent
In a powerful statement on Thursday, Zimbabwean opposition leader Advocate Nelson Chamisa fiercely criticized the Zanu PF government’s attempt to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office beyond constitutional limits. Currently, Mnangagwa’s second term is set to end in 2028, but Zanu PF hardliners are pushing for the postponement of elections to 2030.
Chamisa, who leads the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), vehemently opposed the move, describing it as a direct attempt to prolong the suffering of the Zimbabwean people. He said:
“STOP THIS NONSENSE!!”
“You want to extend pain and suffering. You want to extend extreme and deadening poverty. You want to extend unemployment. You want to extend hunger and lack.”
Chamisa went on to list various hardships that Zimbabweans have endured under the current administration, condemning the government’s failure to address basic needs such as power, water, and healthcare:
“You want power outages, electricity shortages and water shortages. You want to extend this currency crisis and cash shortages. You want to extend high taxes and skyrocketing prices. You want to extend oppression. You want to extend fear, hate and intimidation. You want to extend terror and violence.”
The opposition leader also accused the government of worsening social and economic conditions across the country, stating:
“You want to extend conflict. You want to extend the nation’s isolation. You want to extend looting and corruption. You want to extend bribery and chicanery. You want to extend the dying hospitals and the dying in hospitals.”
He also highlighted the dire state of Zimbabwe’s education and public service sectors, saying:
“You want to extend the chaos in education. You want to extend the suffering of teachers under squalid conditions. You want to extend the suffering of workers and civil servants. You want to extend the suffering of pensioners.”
Chamisa expressed his outrage over the continued economic struggles and the worsening business environment:
“You want to extend the closing down of businesses. You want to extend the capital flight and brain drain. You can’t!”
He concluded by accusing the ruling party of stealing the people’s mandate, hopes, and votes, and claimed that they sought to perpetuate this “theft” by extending Mnangagwa’s presidency:
“You stole the people’s mandate, hopes and votes. And you want to extend that theft. You can’t extend theft. It can’t. Stop it!!”