We must free ourselves – MDC

hat everywhere they had been, the ‘liberation team’ had found the people supportive of the road map and ready to face the ‘winter of discontent’ mass protests.
“The mood of the people was very encouraging. The majority of Zimbabweans, both urban and rural, now realise that no-one can free us but ourselves. We are all in the frontline. Yes, we need international solidarity, but that can only come on the back of our national response,” he said.
The MDC road map, a working document, was under constant reflection and perfect, he said. It was in the process of being distributed to all interested parties, including Zanu (PF), various church leaders who met the party’s leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, last week, and youth groups.
Events in Gambia, where Mugabe turned down offers of help from the secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, clearly showed that the Zimbabwean ruler was not prepared to accept outside intervention, said Chamisa.
“Mugabe is still insisting that the problem is between Zimbabwe and Britain. The reality is that Zanu (PF) is at war with its own people. Any talk of thawing relations with Britain is a mis-diagnosis of our illness which will lead to the wrong treatment,” he said.
This weekend Tsvangirai will address a huge star rally in Kwekwe, while smaller scale consultations will continue in Chikomba and Chiweshe communal lands and the high density areas of Harare.
Referring to the attack on senior members of the Mutambara faction, Chamisa said the attackers had been named and if they were indeed found to have been responsible they would be expelled immediately.
“We are not prepared to have our members indulging in this Zanu (PF)-type behaviour,” he said. “We condemn the attack, and indeed all political violence, in the strongest possible terms. On behalf of the MDC we wish all those injured in the attack a speedy recovery.”