Chamisa wants advice from Mugabe

MDC-ALLIANCE leader Nelson Chamisa has said he intends to meet former president Robert Mugabe and hopes to get guidance from him on governance issues.

Mr Chamisa said he wants Mr Mugabe to give him "wisdom" and guidelines on how to rule, confirming the pact the opposition leader has with the former long-ruling leader who has done little to mask his choice for the opposition.

There have been reports that Mr Mugabe is bankrolling Mr Chamisa and backing him to win in the party's forthcoming congress. He said this while addressing party supporters on Saturday during a rally held at Chisamba Grounds in Sakubva, Mutare.

"I am humbled that Mr Mugabe went publicly to vote for me and to say that he will vote for me. It is an endorsement to say the history is saying we are passing on the baton to the future and I receive that baton," he said.

"It is my wish to visit him and say 'you played your part and you disagreed in many ways with Tsvangirai' and if he had wronged, we will forgive him. We need to hear from him, how he is seeing it, because he knows where he made mistakes. But I have to hear from him how he made those mistakes. That is the direction we are moving and that is the focus we are following."

Mr Chamisa also threatened to unleash more disturbances in the country if the ruling party does not bow to his demands. He said there was still a dispute stemming from the 2018 harmonised elections.

This is despite the Constitutional Court ruling that President Mnangagwa won the elections. Mr Chamisa also told his supporters that he had an economic turn-around plan. He, however, did not outline the plan, saying his ideas would be stolen.

Mr Chamisa was publicly challenged by his party's secretary-general, Mr Douglas Mwonzora, who said MDC-Alliance members should be allowed to vote for leaders of their choice at congress in May.

Mr Mwonzora said this despite being booed by his party supporters who attended the Sakubva rally.

"I want this MDC to be a united party. I want this MDC to be a party that chooses its own leadership. I want this MDC to be a tolerant party and disciplined party. I want this MDC as its secretary-general to be a disciplined party," he said.

Mr Chamisa claimed his party was united despite reports that tension was growing in the MDC-Alliance over the congress.

"As we go to congress, we need peace. Our party cannot afford to be disunited.

"We are going to our party congress united. Please do not be misguided by the media reports as we are a party of excellence," he said.