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WE find events that culminated in the Zimbabwe Republic Police dispersing rowdy supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change who had converged outside the party’s headquarters — Harvest House — in Harare on Wednesday, quite unfortunate and regrettable as they could have been avoided. 

MDC-A president Mr Nelson Chamisa’s so called Hope of the Nation Address, which he had been cleared to hold at the Showgrounds  — a venue far from the Central Business District and which reasonably could have accommodated hordes of his followers — was held at Harvest House right in the centre of the city on a busy Wednesday morning when people were going about their business. MDC-A on Tuesday cancelled its planned public meeting initially requested for Africa Unity Square after the police had given the opposition party the green light to use the open space near the Harare Exhibition Park.

On Tuesday night the party wrote to the police advising them that they had cancelled the rally, but the unruly elements did not take heed and turned up opposite Harvest House on Wednesday morning where they sang and danced awaiting the arrival of Mr Chamisa. While the riot police assigned to provide security at the venue were very patient and accommodating — even going to the extent of pleading with Mr Chamisa’s spokesperson, Nkululeko Sibanda, to ask the crowd which could not be accommodated inside Harvest House, to disperse as they were obstructing traffic and disturbing peace, their pleas fell on deaf ears and the mob turned violent, assaulting a police officer in the process. 

In such a scenario, police are expected to use minimal force to disperse a rowdy crowd and it is unfortunate that some people were caught up in the melee and injured. We wonder how vendors and big shops such as OK, TV Sales and Home whose business was being disrupted by the rowdy youths feel about the whole issue. 

We also question the wisdom of convening a rally in the city centre when an alternative venue had been cleared by the police. While we condemn of all forms of violence against innocent citizens going about their business, the conduct of some MDC-A youths regrettably led to the injury of some people as police dispersed the crowd. 

National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “The police engaged some MDC-Alliance officials including Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda and asked them to remove their supporters from the road but some of them became confrontational and stoned one police officer, who was injured and taken to hospital.” 

In his HOPA, Mr Chamisa said his party was prepared for dialogue between the country’s two biggest parties — Zanu-PF and MDC-A. “We want to engage with President Mnangagwa for the betterment of the people. We do not want a Government of National Unity but sharing the vision, the union of ideas that take the country forward. 

“We want a transitional authority just to prepare comprehensive reforms that are going to usher in a new dispensation. We have to come together to find the definition of our problems. 

“We are appealing to Sadc to call Zanu-PF and MDC-A to engage each other for the national cause. The main show should be between Zanu-PF and MDC-A, but it should be done outside the Political Actors’ Dialogue (POLAD). We are committed to dialogue outside POLAD,” said Mr Chamisa.

However, Presidential spokesman and Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Mr George Charamba, said President Mnangagwa will not participate in any talks outside POLAD, a homegrown national framework where all political parties are equal and no outsiders are allowed. 

“POLAD is the only framework and there is no other. Let that point be driven home. POLAD incorporates all political players as equals regardless of organisational status or results of 2018 elections. Chamisa cannot at one level demand talks between equals while at the same time creating exclusion and inequality for others. POLAD will not involve outsiders. It’s a national dialogue managed nationally and involving nationals of Zimbabwe. It does not resurrect the political question which was long decided in 2018 elections. 

“It merely enlists the collective national mind in resolving the burning questions which are economic and diplomatic.” 

We agree that dialogue should involve all Zimbabweans — in this case the political actors under the aegis of POLAD who represent voters who participated in the 2018 harmonised elections. Zimbabwe’s challenges require all hands on deck and the MDC-A has a role to play just like any other political actor. However, it cannot claim exclusivity alongside Zanu-PF because all political players are equal regardless of organisational status or results of the 2018 elections. 

If Mr Chamisa is really serious about “sharing a vision and a union of ideas that take the country forward” then he should be prepared to engage in dialogue with all political parties instead of demanding an audience with Zanu-PF only. Otherwise, he comes across as someone desperate for relevance and a Government of National Unity in which his party will smuggle its way into power via the backdoor.