Latest on MDC - ZANU PF dialogue

Deputy Chief secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Charles Charamba has announced that the dialogue between the opposition MDC and the ruling ZANU PF parties will happen at a time that MDC agrees to recognize President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the legitimate leader of the country.

Charamba was speaking at a wide ranging interview with Penny Pengeti on Capitalk FM.

"You musts understand that MDC leader Nelson Chamisa needs dialogue more that President Mnanagwga." Charamba said. "When people are dialoguing they must first respect the official capacities of the each party.

"Chamisa lost the election and contested results at the Constitutional court and lost the petition. So he must learn to accept and respect the verdict of the people.  Chamisa cannot convene a press conference and say he is willing to engage in a dialogue that has no set condition when in actually fact by saying President Mnangagwa is illegitimate he is setting conditions in terms of the capacity that he wants to recognize the President."

Charamba further revealed that when the President spoke of dialogue he wants to engage all the political parties that contested in the 2018 harmonised elections.

"What I do not want is this notion that opposition is synonymous with one organisation and an individual. If you check your statistics there are many parties that contested in the elections. And when we talk of dialogue e are also talking about the Youths, churches, established businesses and all other stakeholders in this country. So it does not necessarily mean one organisation."

Charamba further said he is happy that the opposition MDC has seen that the street way does not work and they may come back to their senses and learn to engage progressively and engage in a dialogue that the President has called for.