What they said about Nelson Chamisa
“Chamisa lost because he opposed Morgan Tsvangirai’s idea of centralising power into his office, an idea that Mwonzora supported. You would remember the same MDC through (Morgen) Komichi had constituted a constitutional review committee for the same, ideas which were rejected by the NC (National Council) and Chamisa being vocal on that. The same clauses were put through at congress.”
Political Commentator Sanderson Makombe.
“Nelson Chamisa will bounce back but I hope he has learnt one lesson. Do not trust noise, trust data – trends and stats. Our biggest undoing in last year’s election was celebrating rally-attenders more than the collective weight of the ballot. He made the same blunder at this congress. For all its worth though, the party is now in the hands of coffee-sippers and prefects!”
Former student leader and activist Freeman Chari
“I commiserate with him (Nelson Chamisa) but I also say to him that the strength of the eagle is seen not only when it is soaring, but on whether it can get up and fly again, after falling to the ground. It is a time of self-introspection – a time of asking what went wrong and how it can be corrected.”
“No human being is perfect and my brother has his faults, which may partly account an outcome that seems so cruel, but he has youth and intelligence on his side and he will bounce back – perhaps with better polish and a demeanour honed by time, that great sorcerer.
Political commentator and former advisor to Morgan Tsvangirai Dr Alex Magaisa
“I feel humbled by the support that l got from the members of the MDC; it shows the confidence in me. I was very, very heartened that l was able to succeed.”
“I am also very happy at the level of competition that was there at this congress especially the competition between myself and honourable Chamisa and l want to say that he is a very, very bright young man with a very good future.
“He is definitely a very difficult opponent but at the end of the day, one of us had to win. The ultimate beneficiary, l think, is democracy.”
Douglas Mwonzora on beating Nelson Chamisa
“But Tsvangirai knows that Chamisa was probably his biggest public backer during his recent troubles with his erstwhile colleagues who have now formed the formation they refer to as Renewal. He stood by him and for that reason took some serious flak, attracting all sorts of unpalatable labels, which may also be the cause of the political price that he has to pay.
Chamisa will feel that he has been hard done by; that probably, he has been betrayed. One can understand the hurt but he will need to accept what has happened with grace and look to a future whose promise has not been diminished in a permanent sense.”
Political commentator and former advisor to Morgan Tsvangirai Dr Alex Magaisa
“Tsvangirai’s personal involvement in the running of provincial and national elections raised a lot of questions over the credibility of the polls. In the run-up to these elections, he bent all party rules to ensure his cronies got elected.”
An unnamed source speaking to NewsDay
“I focused and knew what was important in the campaign. Whereas most people thought that nominations are themselves sort of an end, l always knew that nominations can be a determinant of support but one can work very hard to overturn a nomination.
I think l had a very good message to the people and we made it clear in our campaign against each other that each person was going to talk about themselves and not denigrate the other. This is what found resonance with members of the MDC. Yes, it was a combination of determination and also ability to appreciate what is important at a particular stage.”
Douglas Mwonzora on beating Nelson Chamisa
