Life might be going on in Zimbabwe after the much talked about ‘sham’ elections but the question of the opposition’s next move lingers on.
The main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), are keeping their cards close to their chest, leaving many to wonder what exactly it is that they are planning.
Initially they had said they would take the legal route and challenge the outcome of the presidential results in court, claiming to have evidence that President Emmerson Mnangagwa actually lost to opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa.
They quickly abandoned this idea, however, noting it would be a waste of time and money judging from the past experiences.
So what are they now planning and what should the citizens expect?
That is the question many hope will be answered in the not-so-distant future, a hope that was further stoked this week by Chamisa’s suggestive tweets.
On Monday he wrote, “Help is on the way, be of good cheer Zimbabwe. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful and so you might fear the Lord your God forever. #Godisinit”
Then on Tuesday he tweeted, “Thank you Africa and the world for standing with us Zimbabweans in dismissing fraud and stolen elections. Together we will reverse this sham and have a legitimate government freely elected and enjoying the full will of all people of Zimbabwe. It’s not over.”
Even when many responded saying they had lost hope, Chamisa insisted it was not over yet and that hope should never be lost.
And so the citizens wait for the help they have been promised with no hint of what to expect or when.
Meanwhile, 80-year-old Mnangagwa was sworn in on Monday with the majority of SADC leaders staying away from the ceremony.
The SADC observer mission was the first to condemn the 23 August elections, which have been described as chaotic and a sham.
Only three of the 16 regional leaders made their way to Harare to witness Mnangagwa’s swearing in of his second and final term. The trio were: South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Mnangawa continues to lead a country with the world’s highest inflation of 685 percent, a failing economy and corruption; for many, these will be the country’s permanent problems as long as ZanuPF remains in power.
And perhaps as a consolation for the President, his local enemies, the Mugabe family, seem to have let bygones be bygones as they also attended the ceremony.
Former first lady, Grace Mugabe graced the occasion, accompanied by her daughter Bona and son Robert Junior. Relations had gone frosty between the two families following the 2017 coup that led to Mugabe’s ouster.
