CHAMISA BOOED IN CHARUMBIRA, MASVINGO OVER SANCTIONS AS HIS BODYGUARDS FIRE GUNSHOTS INJURING VILLAGERS
2 min readBy Taonga Botolo, in Harare
Embattled MDC-Alliance leader Pastor Nelson Chamisa had a rude awakening on Monday in Charumbira, Masvingo Province when angry villagers chased him and his crew out of the area where he had gone to address an impromptu meeting with some members of his party.
The meeting was interrupted by violence after youths from the area chased Chamisa and his entourage from addressing any meeting in the area.
They pelted stones and shouted unprintable words towards Chamisa and other members of his party who accompanied him.
Eye witnesses told this publication, the situation was made worse by Chamisa’s bodyguards who fired gunshots at the crowds.
Chamisa tried in vain to calm the situation by addressing the people.
However, the villagers refused to lend their ears to the desperate Chamisa and continued to stone him.
The irate villagers could be heard shouting, “Remove sanctions you fool.”
Others shouted, “We are suffering because of sanctions you and Biti helped to impose on our land, we will kill you.”
For fear of being overpowered by the angry villagers, Chamisa bodyguards fired more gun shots at the enraged but unarmed villagers.
The gunshots infuriated the villagers further who said they last heard guns in the countryside during the liberation war.
Our eye witness further heard the villagers yelliing: “We will never be ruled by someone who pushes for sanctions against Zimbabwe. We liberated this country through blood and sweat. Zimbabwe will never be a colony again.”
Meanwhile, situation in Charumbira remains tense as villagers have been seen carrying Placards written “Chamisa bvisa ma sanctions ako.”
The incident is happening just days to go before a UN team is expected to visit Zimbabwe to asses the impact of sanctions imposed by US and western allies.
It remains to be seen if Chamisa and MDC-A will be able to hold party meetings across the country in readiness for 2023 harmonised polls as majority of Zimbabweans hold the self styled Pastor and his deputy Tendai Biti squarely responsible for the sanctions.
While Chamisa is having tough time to market himself to the majority Zimbabweans, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s popularity is at an all time high owing to his decisive leadership that has seen the economy rebounding, country registering massive maize and wheat harvests, roads being repaired and lives of most Zimbabweans being improved compared to how situation was prior to November, 2017 among enormous achievement that have been registered within short period the President has been at the helm.