'No trust in oppositio parties,' says Tsvangirai

OPPOSITION political parties have called for patience as they painstakingly go through the process of forming a grand coalition aimed at toppling Zanu-PF from power in the 2018 elections.

Various party leaders attending the Zimbabwe National Agreement Platform (ZiNAP), which also includes civil society organisations and is being spearheaded by the church, said the crisis in the country should be resolved through collective effort.

ZiNAP, co-ordinated by Ancelimo Magaya, aims at finding a sustainable solution to the Zimbabwean crisis.

Responding to questions on the progress, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai said people should remain patient for now.

"It appears to me that the whole focus is on a grand coalition as a panacea to the problems that we have," Tsvangirai said.

"We can't start with the grand coalition before you have actually built the trust and the confidence among the players and that is what we are doing. Don't go to the end without talking of the processes that lead to that end."

Democratic Assembly for Reform and Empowerment leader Gilbert Dzikiti said: "We are talking and discussing with political parties and we are finding each other and it's still work in progress, but it's not a question of personalities or individuals but a question of principles and values for a Zimbabwe that we want."

Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First representative Bright Matonga said although the new party was still in the formative stages, it believed only a grand coalition could save Zimbabwe.

"That is why we are here together as political parties. We are discussing, we are talking, we are finding common ground that is sustainable, that is good for this country, that will take us away from this mess," he said.