Chamisa blasts 'charlatan' war vets'

THE MDC-T led by Nelson Chamisa has hit back at war veterans secretary general Victor Matemadanda who said Tuesday they were ready to take up arms to defend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule.

Chamisa ally, Luke Tamborinyoka said in a statement Tuesday that the rants by war veterans were a sign they were uncomfortable with Mnangagwa's poll victory subjected to judicial scrutiny.

"The MDC Alliance is not moved by such grandstanding and empty threats by an illegal grouping of charlatans bent on confusing court proceedings and shattering the dreams of the people of Zimbabwe.

"They do not want a fair hearing of the MDC Alliance electoral petition," Tamborinyoka said.

Tamborinyoka said Matemadanda's utterances were an affront to the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, adding that war veterans were trying to go against the one-man-one-vote principle hey fought for.

He added, "Contrary to statements by Zanu-PF's Patrick Chinamasa that the MDC Alliance was intimidating the judiciary, it has turned out instead that war veterans' leader Victor Matemadanda is instilling fear on the bench on the eve of the court case, threatening to use guns and bullets to protect Mnangagwa's so-called victory."

Tamborinyoka said President Mnangagwa should admit the rigging plot by ZEC had failed and should accept defeat and allow Zimbabweans to move forward, saying the idea of African leaders refusing to hand over power should come to an end.

"For our outgoing president Mnangagwa, history will judge him harshly for being part of remnants of a few African politicians who put their personal selfish interests ahead of the greater good of the nation," he said.