The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has issued an ultimatum for President Robert Mugabe to leave office for failing to run the country’s affairs and declared that it would embark on national protests next month to press him to resign.
The national youth chairperson of the MDC-T, Happymore Chidziva, told a news conference at his party’s Harvest House headquarters that Mr. Mugabe must step down by August 31st because he has failed to deliver on his re-election promises.
Chidziva said his party would embark on national demonstrations next month until the head of state resigns under what the MDC Youth Assembly is calling the #MyZimbabwe Campaign.
He added that the proposed protests would be different this time because the police and the army, who have always crushed their previous demonstrations, are allegedly on their side.
Studio 7 failed to get a comment from Zanu PF national spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo, as he was not answering his mobile phone. However, some leaders of the ruling Zanu PF party last week charged that they would take the law into their own hands if police do not arrest people would be protesting against President Mugabe’s administration.
Although dissent against Mr. Mugabe is increasing, political analyst Predisai Ruhanya, director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, said the capacity of the MDC-T youth to force Mr. Mugabe is questionable.
Poor economic performance, high unemployment and human rights violations are some of the issues that are driving opposition forces to protest against Mr. Mugabe. For his part, President Mugabe has told the nation that those protesting against him were foreign-sponsored and were bent on effecting what he described as “illegal regime change in Zimbabwe”.
