Former CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has said he is ending his two-year break from politics because “Zimbabwe has been leaderless and rudderless.”
He made the comments in an interview on South Africa’s Channel Africa, SABC’s international radio service, just days after revealing his return to politics and launching what he calls “Agenda 2026.”
Chamisa said that “Agenda 2026” is a citizens’ movement aimed at addressing what he describes as a deep governance crisis in Zimbabwe, marked by disputed elections, corruption, and state capture.
When asked what had changed to prompt his return to active politics at this time, Chamisa said:
“Well, what has changed is that Zimbabwe has gotten worse. What has changed is that Zimbabwe has been leaderless and rudderless.
“What has changed is that there’s actually been no dance to counter the kind of terrorism, tyranny, dictatorship, and authoritarianism in the country.
“And my duty as a responsible leader, as a patriotic citizen, is to continue to lead. So, what is inviting me back are the circumstances in our country.
“Over five million Zimbabweans are in the diaspora, and I have a duty to make sure that we find a way, we recreate and reignite hope for the people in the diaspora and also locally who are jobless, young people who are not employed, and of course, the majority of people—49 percent—who are in abject poverty, extreme poverty according to the World Bank’s latest report.
“So, those are the issues that are inviting me and attracting me to playing that pivotal role.”
When asked whether he was confident that Zimbabweans still view him as the main alternative to the current leadership, Chamisa replied:
“It’s not about me. It’s about them. It’s about the citizens. They are the ones who have demanded me to come back. And of course, who am I to resist a calling?
“This is not a career; it’s a calling. People want authentic leadership, and you can’t replace an authentic leader. You can’t replace an authentic alternative. We represent that authenticity, and that is why I’m there.
“And I’m very confident, I’m happy that we’ll be able to defeat this dictatorship as we have always done.
“In 2018, we defeated Mr Mnangagwa. In 2023, we defeated Mr Mnangagwa, and they had to resort to other tomfoolery antics, you know, and do whatever they did.
“But you can never defeat a people who are determined, and you can never delay a time whose moment has come, an idea whose opportunity is supposed to kick in.
So, I have no doubt in my mind that they will try this pillar-to-post tactics, antics, but those stratagems are not going to work.
“The people are determined, the citizens are determined, and we will have Zimbabwe changed and changed for good.”
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Chamisa Returns To Politics With Launch Of “Agenda 2026” Citizens’ Movement