Mnangagwa urged to cut short his European tour

By Tichaona Sibanda

One of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s opponents in last year’s Presidential contest has told him to ‘urgently return’ home and assume control of government amid a heavy crackdown on dissent by security forces.

Noah Manyika, President of Build Zimbabwe Alliance urged Mnangagwa in an open letter to immediately suspend his overseas trip and urgently return home to assume full civilian control of government as required by the constitution.

‘Your immediate return and the immediate withdrawal of the military from the streets to the barracks will give the nation and international community much needed assurance that you, and not the military, are running this country,’ wrote Manyika.

He added that Mnangagwa should immediately revoke the fuel price increases he announced last Saturday, explaining that the ‘increases have resulted in unbearable hardships for ordinary citizens.’

The ZANU PF leader embarked on a five-nation European tour on Sunday, less than a day after he announced a massive fuel hike, which saw prices more than double.

Mnangagwa, commonly referred to as ‘ED’ has already visited Russia, and is set to travel to Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, before heading to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.

He left his deputy President, Constantino Chiwenga in charge. Since his departure chaos has gripped the country as citizens embarked on nationwide protests, forcing the authorities to unleash armed troops to quell the protests.

In the first two days of the mass stayaway called for by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, ZCTU, shops were looted, roads blocked and vehicles set alight. There are reports ZANU PF youth members were heavily involved in some of the violence, which the state has solely blamed on the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa and Western sponsored NGO’s.

The violent reaction by government forces has witnessed mass arrests, physical assaults and the use of live ammunition on unarmed civilians, resulting in some deaths.

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights has said dozens of protesters have been treated for gunshot wounds since Monday.

This week’s protests, five months after six people were killed in post-election demonstrations last August, pose a challenge for Mnangagwa who promised to repair the struggling economy after he replaced long-time leader Robert Mugabe following a coup in November 2017.

Manyika also called for the immediate release of all demonstrators and civic leaders detained during the shutdown and urged the President to immediately disband his cabinet and engage other leaders to resolve the economic and political crisis.

‘Anything less, would amount to you declaring war on your own presidency, on the economy and on the people whose suffering you have said you want to end,’ Manyika said. Nehanda Radio