Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the Citizens Coalition of Change (CCC), has urged his followers to vote Zanu PF out of power on August 23 in order to get revenge for the murder of killed supporter Tinashe Chitsunge.
He claimed that while the CCC might have easily opted to use violence, it has instead decided to fight peacefully by using its right to vote for the good of the nation.
By voting Zanu PF out of office on August 23, Nelson Chamisa has urged his followers to get revenge for the murder of killed supporter Tinashe Chitsunge.
In an episode that brought Zimbabwe’s elections to the attention of the world, Chitsunge was stoned to death on Thursday of last week as he ran from a Zanu PF mob in Glen View 7, Harare.
Speaking at Chitsunge’s wake yesterday in Glen View, Chamisa stated that Chitsunge’s life should be avenged by voting Zanu PF out of government while expressing his condolences to the deceased’s family.
Candidates for CCC council seats running in rural areas are among those impacted by violent assaults. They claim that members of the ruling party have been threatening to visit their houses and make threats to the occupants.
“Tinashe haana kufira mahara (Tinashe did not die in vain) … It pains us to [offer] condolences when we know it doesn’t bring him back. Hatina bakatwa, uta nemuseve [We don’t have any weapons], what we only have are Bible verses and the word of God. The only weapon we have is peace to bring down Zanu PF and show them that it is possible to remain peaceful in a country.
“We don’t want people who separate others. We unite people. Extreme provocation is done by Zanu PF. They block us everywhere we go. Hatisikuti hatina mangoromera, tinawo akawandisa [We are not saying we cannot fight back], but we choose peace because when they invest in violence, we invest in peace,” Chamisa said.
He claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was not the ideal leader for the country since he failed to express condolences to the Chitsunge family.
Nelson Chamisa has stated that some of his party’s members are staying away from their homes following a wave of violence allegedly perpetrated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu PF party in several regions of the nation.
“Let us teach Zanu PF the example of love and give them a template of peace. They are provoking us and we do not provoke them. We can deal with Zanu PF if we want to, but we have not taken that route … we said this party is a peace-loving party,” he said.
Chamisa added that Zanu PF’s days of violence were numbered and time to change the narrative was beckoning.
“Zanu PF knows there is nothing for them anymore. That is why they are frog-marching people to their rallies.
“People of Zimbabwe are oppressed, they are yet to be freed. You can’t be in a country where you force people to support a political party and you then kill people for supporting an alternative party as they did to Tinashe,” Chamisa added.
Swaziland’s opposition People’s United Democratic Movement leader Mlungisi Makhanya joined CCC members and supporters to offer condolences to the Chitsunge family.
The violence, if not nipped in the bud, will spread across the country, according to CCC deputy spokesperson Gift “Ostallos” Siziba
“Let us not let the blood of Tinashe be spilt in vain; come out in numbers on August 23 and vote for change. Bring relatives and friends to play as a befitting win for Tinashe,” he said.
Chitsunge is survived by his wife Dzidzisai and two children Shanell (11) and Shawn (4).
He will be buried today at his rural home in Buhera. Newsday
