Chamisa Pledges To Compensate Maengahama With Party Position

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Chamisa Pledges To Compensate Maengahama With Party Position
Chamisa Pledges To Compensate Maengahama With Party Position

Africa-PressZimbabwe. By Robert Tapfumaneyi – MDC ALLIANCE president Nelson Chamisa has promised to compensate party activist Last Maengahama with a party position following the latter’s nightmarish eight-year jail stay for a murder offence he has since been acquitted for.

Maengahama, together with Tungamirai Madzokere, were acquitted Friday by the Supreme Court after spending jail time on false accusations they were actively involved in the 2011 gang murder of police Inspector Petros Mutedza by MDC activists.

“We will do everything to make sure that the 8 years that slowed down all your plans are recovered.

“We will not say much but we will try our best with our limited circumstances,” Chamisa said during a visit to the Maengahama family in Harare’s Glen View high density suburb Tuesday afternoon.

He added, “Beyond that, we will also be very happy to check whether you want to serve the party in what capacity as there are vacancies.

“Honestly, your role is very important. We would want you to play that pivotal role in the party.

“He (Maengahama) is one of the very strong characters.”

Maengahama, considered a political prisoner within opposition circles, was a National Executive member of the MDC at the time of his arrest.

Chamisa also chronicled Maengahama’s path in the fight against inequality from the time the activist was with the International Socialist Organisation (ISO).

“He came at the people’s national convention representing residents as he was a leader from the residents’ association, and this is different from those who joined the movement later but today, they are at the forefront claiming to be the founders of the party,” he said.

“They were not there, they were members of other political parties. I will not name them.

“However, we are not celebrating that a life was lost but that our colleagues have been released from jail after having been convicted for a crime they did not commit.”

On his part, Maengahama said the support he got from party supporters kept their spirits high while in prison.

“Thank you everyone for this, it has lifted me spiritually and all the support you gave us during our incarceration, you can see my health not because of the prison diet but because of the peace of mind which gave us hope that one day, we were going to be released from jail,” he said.

“The support should not be for me and Tungamirai Madzokere but for everyone who is fighting for a democratic Zimbabwe because for as long as we are under this regime, many will be arrested and incarcerated for fighting for change.”

Chamisa was accompanied by a handful national standing committee members from his party.

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