Opinion / Columnist
Charamba's growing arrogance a danger to Mnangagwa's image
26 Aug 2021 at 01:40hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa's spokesperson George Charamba's language describing the recently elected Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema a sellout cannot go unchallenged.
Writing on his Twitter handle, @Jamwanda2, Charamba accused the Zambian President of being a sellout because he invited opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to his inauguration. Hichilema was an opposition candidate in the recently-held Zambian elections and defeated the incumbent Edgar Lungu.
His language is not expected of a presidential spokesperson, a person who is privy to tenets of diplomacy, but of a thug.
Hichilema has ushered Zambia to a new level of politics of tolerance by inviting several African heads of State, as well as opposition party leaders, from the region.
It seems the move has shaken Zanu-PF, which fears that the feat achieved by Zambia could happen in Zimbabwe in the 2023 elections.
In panic mode, Charamba believed Hichilema had sold out the dictatorial tendency of suppressing dissenting voices.
Charamba should remember that diplomacy is not only a means of communication, but also an instrument of policy which has a political dimension to it.
United Party for National Development spokesperson Joseph Kalimbwe described Charamba's statement as "catastrophic".
He said: "In my personal view, it is catastrophic. (The comments) cannot be taken lightly. What is worrisome is that he is using a fake name, because he cannot come out openly as a spokesperson of a head of State to be saying such shameless statements."
In any other situation, Charamba's position as a top civil servant, or any kind of employee for that matter would be untenable. The damage he has caused to the nascent relationship between Zimbabwe and Zambia's new administration may not be easily repaired.
Charamba is no ordinary person, but someone who speaks on behalf of the President and as such his utterances reflect badly on his boss. We want to know what the President thinks of those utterances.
Speaking on public broadcaster ZBC, Mnangagwa said the new politics in Zambia was proof that Africa was maturing as a democracy and that it was possible to have peaceful power transfer on the continent without Western prescriptions. That was a mature sentiment from a head of State.
So, what does Mnangagwa think of his spokesperson who insulted his Zambia counterpart at a time when he was a guest at Hichilema's table?
There is a Shona saying which says kana chingoma chavakuririsa chava kuda kubvaruka. It appears that Charamba's arrogance is growing by the day and the damage he causes to Mnangagwa's leadership may not be easy to repair.
Writing on his Twitter handle, @Jamwanda2, Charamba accused the Zambian President of being a sellout because he invited opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to his inauguration. Hichilema was an opposition candidate in the recently-held Zambian elections and defeated the incumbent Edgar Lungu.
His language is not expected of a presidential spokesperson, a person who is privy to tenets of diplomacy, but of a thug.
Hichilema has ushered Zambia to a new level of politics of tolerance by inviting several African heads of State, as well as opposition party leaders, from the region.
It seems the move has shaken Zanu-PF, which fears that the feat achieved by Zambia could happen in Zimbabwe in the 2023 elections.
In panic mode, Charamba believed Hichilema had sold out the dictatorial tendency of suppressing dissenting voices.
Charamba should remember that diplomacy is not only a means of communication, but also an instrument of policy which has a political dimension to it.
United Party for National Development spokesperson Joseph Kalimbwe described Charamba's statement as "catastrophic".
He said: "In my personal view, it is catastrophic. (The comments) cannot be taken lightly. What is worrisome is that he is using a fake name, because he cannot come out openly as a spokesperson of a head of State to be saying such shameless statements."
In any other situation, Charamba's position as a top civil servant, or any kind of employee for that matter would be untenable. The damage he has caused to the nascent relationship between Zimbabwe and Zambia's new administration may not be easily repaired.
Charamba is no ordinary person, but someone who speaks on behalf of the President and as such his utterances reflect badly on his boss. We want to know what the President thinks of those utterances.
Speaking on public broadcaster ZBC, Mnangagwa said the new politics in Zambia was proof that Africa was maturing as a democracy and that it was possible to have peaceful power transfer on the continent without Western prescriptions. That was a mature sentiment from a head of State.
So, what does Mnangagwa think of his spokesperson who insulted his Zambia counterpart at a time when he was a guest at Hichilema's table?
There is a Shona saying which says kana chingoma chavakuririsa chava kuda kubvaruka. It appears that Charamba's arrogance is growing by the day and the damage he causes to Mnangagwa's leadership may not be easy to repair.
Source - newsday
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