By NQOBANI NDLOVU
THE late liberation war icon and national hero Dumiso Dabengwa died a bitter man after his push for a national transitional authority (NTA) to run government business following former President Robert Mugabe’s ouster fell flat in November 2017.
Zapu secretary-general, Strike Mnkandla told mourners at Dabengwa’s burial in Ntabazinduna on Saturday that the Zapu leader tried without success to push for an NTA as a soft-landing for the country’s then long-serving leader, but his efforts were spurned by Zanu PF politicians.
“In the area of governance, Dabengwa was committed to promoting democratisation and peaceful change,” he said.
“In-spite of the fact that he knew what to do when there was no peace. Dabengwa also tried other peaceful elements. He tried to push for an NTA. He tried to show that there was soft landing after President Mugabe left, but that was not to happen.”
There were high hopes that an NTA was in the offing after Mugabe’s 2017 ouster, only for the ruling Zanu PF party to choose the path of elections, which were controversially won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa with disputed results.
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Mnangagwa, however, still struggles to fight off legitimacy issues with the opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa charging that he stole the July 30, 2018 elections.
The MDC Alliance is now pushing for an NTA to ostensibly save the country from further economic collapse amid ever-rising costs of basics and services as the virtual RTGS dollar and bond note currencies keep losing value.
In 2009, a Government of National Unity formed between the MDCs and Zanu PF helped stabilise the economy after the country’s inflation figures hit a record 500 billion percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The country is currently on edge over the grinding economic crisis and rising poverty levels, with the opposition threatening a winter of protests. Social media has been abuzz with calls for a national shutdown.
Yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi denied reports that the State security organ had cancelled or suspended all leave for serving members and brought them back to work amid threats of protests.
“That is not true. There is no such order from the ZRP,” Nyathi said.