Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has called for a broader coalition of democratic forces in Zimbabwe in order to bring social and political change in a nation ravaged by poverty due to severe economic decline.
In a statement, Tsvangirai, whose party recently conducted a nationwide community consultation process on the war forward for Zimbabwe, said most people want Zimbabweans drawn from all walks of life to form a broad coalition in the run up to the 2018 general elections.
“As the one mandated by my party to lead the process of alliance building, I can say with confidence that I found the consultations very enriching as I received further direction from the ordinary people, who expressed their wish to see the broader democratic movement working together.
“From Hwange, Binga, Plumtree, Beitbridge, Gokwe to Bikita, Chimanimani, Mudzi, Mount Darwin and Nyamakate, they were all very emphatic on the need for a huge national coalition for change. I know because I personally engaged the people. And I heard them.”
He said the MDC-T is engaging others in the broader democratic movement, “far much more than those with whom we have signed MOUs in line with the directive from the people.
“We have been very clear from the outset that the alliance we seek goes beyond just political parties to include networks such as the church, war veterans, students, vendors, traditional leaders and women’s groups whose sonorous instructions are still ringing in my mind. Indeed, we want to build a huge coalition for change that goes beyond party slogans; a coalition rooted in the people in their various social stations where they continue to slug it out under very difficult circumstances.”
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