FORMER Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa has revealed plans for a new governance model, marking a significant departure from traditional opposition politics.
This announcement follows months of speculation about his next move since he left the party earlier this year.
Chamisa resigned from the CCC in January, citing infiltration by Zanu PF.
His departure left his supporters uncertain about his political future while his rivals speculated on his next steps.
In an exclusive interview with the Zimbabwe Independent, Chamisa said there was a need for a governance framework that embraces the diverse views of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation.
“The first thing we have to fix is the politics,” he told the Independent.
“And that we will fix before 2028. We fix politics by making sure that we have a for-everyone-governance framework.
“A framework that accommodates diverse views — those in Zanu PF are Zimbabwean, those in other political parties are Zimbabwean. And for that reason, we must have a conversation.
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“And not just a conversation, but a synthesis. Any society is built on a synthesis. There is a thesis, which is the dominant opinion. There is an antithesis, which is the alternative opinion.
“But there must be a government that is a synthesis, combining both the thesis and the antithesis.”
Chamisa, who has twice lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in elections, argued that Zimbabwe lacks the unifying force needed to integrate both dominant and opposing views for the country’s advancement.
“We do not have that uniting agent, the uniting force. The government must be the melting pot for the society, for the nation, for the people, to move the whole country forward,” he noted.
"This is not a zero sum game, to say I have managed to come through the window so I am not the one occupying the whole house. It won't work. It is archaic and antiquated.
"You ask others because they have better views about how to run a country they can also contribute.”
If elected president in 2028, Chamisa outlined plans for a comprehensive manpower and industrial development strategy.
He said his administration would focus on identifying key industries for growth and ensuring job opportunities for Zimbabweans.
“The second thing is to be able to do proper manpower planning and industrial expansion planning around the types of industry we need as a country, which industries are our cash cows, which ones are low hanging fruits, where are we going to have quick wins?” Chamisa said.
“How many jobs are going to be created there? Where are our markets? What can we produce? What can we export? What products are going to be made in Zimbabwe and what products are required internationally that we can produce and leverage on?
“That is the model. It is a robust, integrated programme that will induce and trigger a rapid, accelerated transformation of the economy.”
Chamisa also proposed the establishment of a Citizens Affairs Department to address public concerns and regularly conduct citizen satisfaction surveys.
Chamisa also proposed a citizens affairs department to address citizens grievances and conduct regular satisfaction surveys.
“There will be a citizen affairs department designed just to deal with citizen grievances,” he said.
“All citizen queries, gaps, anxieties, hopes, questions, are answered there.
“Apart from the citizen affairs department, we will have a citizens satisfaction survey.
“And from day one, when a child is born, we must know that we need a job for this child. We need education for this child, a social welfare programme for this child. But we also need other facilities like ownership, title, resources, and land,” Chamisa added.
He envisioned a government that plans for every citizen’s future from birth, ensuring access to education, jobs, social welfare, and essential resources.
Chamisa proposed an education system where universities were free from presidential control, allowing professional and industry experts to take the reins.
“This whole business of having the president, presiding over a graduation is antiquated,” he said.
“There must be autonomy of tertiary institutions, independence, and professionals running of institutions of higher learning.
“They must be inviting people from industry to be the guests, or people from the academia, or even people from outside the country, former eminent Africans, or statesmen as guests.
“You can’t have the president, being the chancellor of the universities - you can't be everything, being even a patron of charity clubs. No, leave that to others.”
