Activist reaches out to Mnangagwa, govt calls for unity

Political activist Talent Rusere has urged Zimbabweans to embrace national unity and reconciliation following his release from prison, saying the country must move beyond past conflicts to focus on development and peace.

Rusere, who spent nine months behind bars, addressed journalists in Harare yesterday, declaring that his imprisonment would not define him. He was convicted on two counts of violating immigration laws after being deported from Botswana, where authorities accused him of residing without valid documents. He was also charged under the Data Protection Act in connection with a video alleging that Zimbabweans voted in Mozambique's disputed elections last year.

Arrested at Plumtree Border Post and later appearing before the Harare Magistrates Court on Christmas Eve, Rusere said he had endured blindfolding and torture while in custody. Despite the ordeal, he stressed the need for reconciliation.

"Zimbabwean politics must be for Zimbabweans and Zimbabweans alone. External dogmatism and lobotomised individual politicking dividing our people into hostile camps must be discarded," Rusere said.

He urged leaders and citizens alike to prioritise the well-being of communities over partisan interests. "Politics is not for politicians or political parties; politics is for our people and the community," he added.

Rusere aligned himself with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy within the decade. He said the national agenda should be driven by respect for equality and the Constitution.

"I am ready to impart the President's Vision 2030 as his vision of national interest based on national development, economic growth and peace," he said.

Quoting from his prepared statement, the activist stressed that all Zimbabweans were equal under the Constitution, which enshrines fundamental rights including life, liberty, and dignity.

He further argued that the country's development prospects depended on collective action. "Zimbabwe's possibilities are unlimited, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries denounces," Rusere said.

Rusere's release and reconciliatory tone come at a time when the country continues to grapple with deep political divisions and socio-economic challenges.