Mnangagwa stole power, destroyed Zimbabwe, says Chamisa

OPPOSITION Citizens Coalition for Change party president Nelson Chamisa has accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration of destroying the country after "usurping" power from the late former President Robert Mugabe.

Addressing opposition supporters in Chipinge at Kondo business centre during the weekend, Chamisa said the 2017 military coup resulted in Mugabe dying a bitter man.

In 2018, a heartbroken Mugabe told journalists who were gathered at his blue roof mansion in Harare that he would not vote for his party, Zanu-PF in the 2018 general elections.

"I must say very clearly, I cannot vote for those who have tormented me. I can't. I'll make my choice among the other 22 [presidential candidates]," Mugabe declared as he endorsed Chamisa.

"Mnangagwa stole power from his elder. Mugabe died a bitter man after power was grabbed from him. Chasing away your elders is taboo. This is why you see Mnangagwa struggling to rule the country because he angered his elder (Mugabe). Ini ndakasirwa naSave [Tsvangirai chose me to lead]," Chamisa told his supporters.

"I'm giving Mnangagwa nightmares as he hears that Chipinge was filled with people without any money spent or anyone beaten. It's just love. I see that you came on your own. No one gave you money. If you look around there is not even a single Zupco bus. If it was Mnangagwa's rally, you would have all been forced to attend it and shops and vending areas would be closed.

"People fought to liberate the country from white bondage and not a single political party had ownership of the country. We said one made one vote, we didn't say people should go and vote for a particular party."

Chamisa also claimed that Zanu-PF did not fight the war alone, but it was "children of the soil" who participated in the liberation struggle.

"Zanu-PF is just a party that was there and whose value has since expired. You are upside down and finished," he said.

But Zanu-PF director of information Tafadzwa Mugwadi rubbished Chamisa's claims saying he will be in for a rude awakening during the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

"This young man needs everyone's prayers. Something must be wrong with his appreciation of the realities in the political market. One would expect that the case of Raila Odinga in Kenya must have given him a sufficient sign as he claimed prior to the polls," Mugwadi said.