Former Cabinet Ministers in the Government of National Unity (GNU), Saviour Kasukuwere and Tendai Biti have called for a genuine national dialogue to resolve the country’s socio-political and economic crisis.
Speaking during a Policy dialogue forum on the post November 2017 coup hosted by Sapes Trust last week, the duo said there is need for genuine dialogue that goes beyond personalities.
“I think essentially whatever it means as a society, as a country, I think we need to put brakes and say can’t we engage and talk about our differences. Zimbabwe is long overdue for some kind of heart to heart discussion where we have empathy with each other. There is a lot that we have missed over the years other countries are moving forward but we are stuck in violence, we are stuck against each other.
“We are stuck in ensuring that I win at all costs it’s never about the country winning but about the individual winning. What is it that we want to achieve? We must be able to achieve together, I think there is a feeling that I would rather run this race and win as an individual. If we run this together, Zimbabwe will be a better country. We need to be able to start having a serious dialogue,” said Kasukuwere
Former Finance Minister in the GNU, Tendai Biti resonated with Kasukuwere’s calls saying an election alone cannot resolve the country’s challenges.
“Any solution to the Zimbabwean crisis that simply thinks that an election held one day can resolve 44 years of abuse, some would argue 100 years of abuse from 1890. I would go as far as 1350. It’s not going to be possible. So we need genuine dialogue that will however ultimately end in a scenario where a citizen is allowed to choose, so that’s the end. We need dialogue that focuses on creating and recreating an articulated common consensus not the disarticulated, fragmented vision that we have at the present moment. What does it mean to be a Zimbabwean? What Zimbabwe do we want?” Biti said
