Chamisa rejects coup-like actions

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, has made it clear that he will not support any actions resembling the 2017 military coup that ousted the late former President Robert Mugabe, saying he learned an important lesson from those events.

Chamisa, who was among opposition figures that endorsed the military intervention alongside his then leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai, said the aftermath of the coup demonstrated that true change cannot come through unconstitutional means.

His remarks came after social media user Brian Ndlovu posted a flier promoting a "One Million Man March" and urged Chamisa to mobilise his supporters to join. In response, Chamisa tersely replied, "2017 taught us a big lesson!" - a statement widely interpreted as a rejection of any attempt to replicate the military-assisted power transfer that brought President Emmerson Mnangagwa to power.

Earlier, Chamisa had posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"A lasting solution starts with truth. Ignoring the 2023 stolen election is ignoring the root of our crisis. Anything that does not address the 2023 stolen election is a fraud and a waste of time. Corruption, capture, suffering - they're symptoms of a disputed mandate and a contested government. Let's treat the cause, not the symptoms. We are the solution. Let's fix what's killing us."

Chamisa's comments underscore his continued insistence on addressing the disputed 2023 general election results, which he claims were rigged in favour of Zanu-PF. Political observers say his response also signals a commitment to peaceful, democratic methods of resolving Zimbabwe's political crisis rather than extra-constitutional actions like those witnessed in 2017.