NTA is the only solution to sustainable peace

By Jacob Mafume

The People’s Democratic Party is concerned that the state is now confirming that there is a possibility of serious instability in the country.

We have always said that the current battles in ZANU PF pose a serious national security threat which can even degenerate into a civil war, the statements made by the Minster of war veterans in parliament substantiate our claim.

ZANU PF has always rubbished our claims as an act of the distractors, when we are genuinely endeavour to provide thought leadership therefore we always make it our responsibility to provide vision and solutions in the country.

As we mentioned in our previous statement we have always said that the current hate and toxicity in the country are a recipe for the unfolding of what we term the “chaos scenario”.

We even state that the current state of the economy, the collapse of social service and the general problems of the people in this environment can also fuel instability.

In our dossier to SADC in 2014 we made the point to the head of states “that failure to act now will result in the unpalatable suffering of the Zimbabwean people and the temptation by others to resort to unlawful and unconstitutional means of redress.”

Part of the problem is that the war veterans are suffering because of the government’s failure to meet their obligations of ensuring that the welfare of the liberators is catered for.

As the Minister confirmed in parliament that the suffering conflated with the fight in ZANU PF creates a time bomb that if left unattended can explode and cause serious problems in our country.

As we have always mentioned countries that slide into civil wars can find it difficult to rebuild the fabric of nationhood therefore stay in conflict for a very long time.

Situations in Libya and Somalia are sad examples whose results are there for everyone to see. In Somalia a national leader elected does not have influence beyond the capital, instead of being called the president they might as well be called a mayor of sorts.

Our party however believes in lighting the candle rather than cursing the darkness, in that regard we propose a raft of solutions.

We suggest that there is need to manage the transition considering the fact that Mugabe failed dismally to put in place a mechanism that can ensure stability beyond his presidency.

At Mandel we proposed the idea of dialogue as a way to manage the fears, interests and aspirations of people from different sectors, our party therefore resolved to support credible individuals or institutions who wished to convene a National convergence platform.

In the Agenda for Restoration and Rehabilitation of Electoral Sustainability (ARREST) we suggest a National Transitional Authority must be put in place to take care of the Zimbabwean affairs. This would buy peace for Zimbabwean people and provide a soft landing for the country which is under the risk of being torn apart in the war between ZANU PF factions.

Together Another Zimbabwe is Possible
Jacob Mafume
PDP Spokesperson