HARARE – Nelson Chamisa, the former leader of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), has dismissed calls for Zimbabweans living in South Africa to return home and participate in Zimbabwe's elections, labelling the notion as "futile" and a return to "hell".
This sharp response comes in direct rebuttal to comments made by South African opposition activist Julius Malema, who earlier this week urged Zimbabweans living in South Africa to engage in the political process back home. Malema had argued that Zimbabweans should not be passive spectators in their country's political landscape.
However, Chamisa, in an interview with South African broadcaster NewzroomAfrika, countered Malema's call, painting a bleak picture of Zimbabwe's political reality.
"Just the past year we have had a number of Zimbabweans leaving the country seeking better and greener pastures, better opportunities," Chamisa stated, highlighting the exodus of Zimbabweans seeking a better life abroad due to the country's economic woes.
"To invite people back into hell or to invite back into this very difficult situation, I think it is disingenuous. We have to correct the settings. Zimbabweans have a role to play in elections, but the elections are actually not proper elections," he added, casting doubt on the legitimacy of ZImbabwe's elections.
Chamisa went on to detail his concerns about the electoral process, citing past irregularities. "So even if Zimbabweans were to come, look at what happened in the past elections, people were in the queues, the ballot papers were not there. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission could not produce ballot papers, and it turned out that Mr Mnangagwa’s friend Wicknell Chivayo was actually printing the ballot papers and playing the sabotage. The election was just a sham. So, to talk of elections and Zimbabweans coming to those elections and participating is a bit of a challenge."
The opposition leader's comments highlight a key issue facing the Zimbabwean diaspora: the lack of voting rights for citizens living abroad. Despite a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in South Africa, the Zanu PF government has consistently resisted calls to amend electoral laws to allow for diaspora voting. This, according to the opposition, disenfranchises many Zimbabweans living abroad from exercising their right to vote.
Chamisa further called on South Africa to play a more active role in addressing the political crisis in Zimbabwe. "The key thing is for the South African government to help Zimbabweans help themselves. They do so by not expressing solidarity with dictatorship. They do so by helping Zimbabweans have proper processes, proper elections and resolve their politics," he said.
He also highlighted the plight of political activists currently incarcerated in Zimbabwe, calling for greater international solidarity. "Right now, we have over 100 political activists who are incarcerated. There is no solidarity from the countries that are supposed to help us,” said the influential politician-cum-lawyer.
Chamisa's strong stance against the upcoming elections and his call for South Africa to take a more proactive role in Zimbabwe's political landscape are likely to further fuel tensions between the opposition and the ruling Zanu PF party.
