BY PRIDE MZARABANI Attempts to resolve the country’s multi-faceted crises without the involvement of opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa would be futile, Zimbabwe Economic Society (ZES) former president Nigel Chanakira has said.
“As the Zimbabwe Economic Society, we need a political dialogue that is totally inclusive, including the one party that is outside of the discussions at the moment, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC),” Chanakira said.
He was speaking to a local radio station on Monday on the sidelines of the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) indaba on the country’s currency crisis.
The Polad indaba was held under the topic: “To what extent has Polad been effective in addressing issues keeping Zimbabweans awake at night?”
“The CCC is critical in us gaining confidence around the economy. They are an important constituency that should be engaged in terms of discussions around building domestic confidence,” Chanakira said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa created Polad, a grouping of presidential candidates in the 2018 elections which he regularly meets to discuss solutions to problems facing the country.
Chamisa has, however, refused to join Polad, dismissing it as “a Zanu PF cheerleaders club”.
Chanakira said any dialogue without Chamisa was uninspiring.
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“They (CCC) are also important upon a factor which militates against a stable currency, for example, the sanctions issue. It’s a major factor,” Chanakira said.
“We need lines of credit, we need to be off the sanctions list, we need to trade as a normal economy and benefit from things such as The African Growth and Opportunity Act, but right now, CCC is not in the tent. They need to be in the tent.”
Meanwhile, Chamisa yesterday bemoaned the high levels of corruption involving government officials saying the vice would not be tolerated when he gets into power.
A number of government officials, including Local Government minister July Moyo , and other businesspeople with links to the First Family have been mentioned in reports on graft.
Critics believe Mnangagwa lacked the political will to fight graft.
In his statement under the title: “Our Rapid and Accelerated Transformation of the Economy Plan”, Chamisa said corruption had reached alarming levels, depriving citizens of a decent life.
“Our policies will be predictable, consistent and guarantee certainty; this will help citizens, economic agents, workers, business and investors to plan with certainty,” he said.
“The corrupt will be an endangered species and extinct. We will eliminate corruption, enforce rule of law, foster political tolerance, constitutionalism, and respect for property rights, which, combined, are critical ingredients required to attract investment, savings, and production.”
Transparency International has repeatedly listed Zimbabwe as one of the countries with widespread corruption.
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