Chamisa survives ‘assassination’ attempt as ‘ED tarnishes self ahead of COP26’

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Politics |

The opposition MDC Alliance on Tuesday claimed party leader Nelson Chamisa was attacked by suspected Zanu PF thugs in Mutare with observers accusing President Emmerson Mnangagwa of tarnishing his reputation ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.

Party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere on Tuesday said Chamisa’s convoy was intercepted by armed suspected Zanu PF youths who fired gunshots, hitting a rear window on the opposition leader’s vehicle on the outskirts of Mutare where he was on a tour of Manicaland province mobilising support ahead of 2023 elections.

“The youths were armed with axes, guns and machetes,” she said.

“There were 12 to 15 vehicles that were trailing the president’s motorcade. The motorcade was delayed by numerous roadblocks to allow the youths to close in.

“Just towards Mutare, there were gunshots which hit one window. Other vehicles were stoned.”

Last week, Chamisa’s convoy vehicles were smashed, stoned while roads were barricaded and some members of the MDC Alliance delegation were injured in Masvingo rural, some 300km from the capital Harare.

Chamisa was on a party mobilisation campaign ahead of the 2023 national elections and possible by-elections scheduled for vacant parliamentary and local council seats.

Kate Hoey, a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom urged Southern African countries to condemn the attacks on the Zimbabwean opposition adding that Mnangagwa was “coming to COP26 when he has turned Zimbabwe into a corrupt dictatorship.”

Hoey said: “Southern African countries need to condemn these state organised attacks on @mdczimbabwe and @nelsonchamisa. Shocking too that @edmnangagwa is coming to #COP26 when he has turned Zimbabwe into a corrupt dictatorship.”

In a statement on Twitter, the MDC Alliance accused Zanu PF of orchestrating violence to intimidate voters before the 2023 elections.

“The second assassination attempt in 7 days on President @nelsonchamisa is cause for regional & continental concern. The resort by the regime to political violence is designed to send a chilling effect to citizens who are forming a broad alliance to win Zim for change in 2023,” the MDC Alliance said.

Zimbabweans home and abroad have since initiated a fundraising campaign to buy Chamisa an armoured plated vehicle following an attack of his cars by Zanu PF thugs assisted by the police.

Addressing villagers in Chimanimani, Birchenough Bridge and Musikavanhu, Chamisa said people were in grief over the worsening crisis bedevilling the country.

“We can’t have a country where everyone is complaining. Workers are crying, traditional leaders are crying, students are crying, women are crying, people in rural areas are crying and it is a difficult thing.”

“I am yet to see anyone who is happy and satisfied with the situation in the country. These are the things we are working on,” he said.

The opposition leader added that: “Fear is the big issue, there is a lot of intimidation.

“There is also weaponisation of food aid and fertilizer. Those are the issues people are generally saying that life is now unbearable. Those are issues that are everywhere. I am telling them that we must put a fullstop to these challenges and then let us win Zimbabwe for change.”

Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) monitoring and observation manager Ian Goredema, accused Zanu PF regime of reverting to politically motivated violence, closing the democratic space.

“You can clearly see that the space for the opposition to be able to connect with their own base is already being shut using Covid-19 regulations where you see Zanu PF is the only party allowed to hold meetings and rallies, we saw many videos of legislators meeting huge crowds at a time when people were being restricted to 50 persons at a gathering yet they were in the hundreds,” Goredema said this at Transparency International Zimbabwe’s (TIZ) Anti-Corruption Dialogue on Electoral Integrity in Harare

“We are having a pre-election environment that is rigged in favour of the incumbent (President Emmerson Mnangagwa).

“Unfortunately, we cannot celebrate things that happened in 2018 because clearly there are signs of reversal, there are very clear signs that we are regressing, going back to environments we used to have.” Nehanda Radio