Mnangagwa keeps Mwonzora waiting

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is yet to respond to MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora's proposals for dialogue, a month after the opposition leader said he was given assurance that his request would be prioritised.

Mwonzora met Mnangagwa at State House on June 11 where he submitted a four-page document to the Zanu-PF leader and one of the alleged proposals was to postpone by-elections.

The MDC-T leader claimed the president had promised to respond within two weeks, but his spokesperson Lloyd Damba yesterday said there had been no response.

"No, not yet, we are still waiting for the responses," Damba said.

"We are very patient on that."

The developments come at a time when Zanu-PF is already preparing for elections in what could be an indication that Mwonzora's proposals were not being taken seriously.

According to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, about 26 seats were left vacant after the MDC-T recalled MDC Alliance legislators.

Some seats also fell vacant following deaths of its representatives.

On July 2, Zanu-PF invited its members intending to contest in by-elections to submit their curricula vitae.

Last year, the government, through Vice-President and Health minister Constantino Chiwenga, indefinitely suspended by-elections in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, a position that angered the opposition MDC Alliance and other stakeholders, who felt it was undemocratic and unconstitutional.