Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume, who is the face of the planned July 31 mass protests, has said the people of Zimbabwe, not politicians, will have to decide on way forward in the event that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling Zanu PF ‘do the sensible thing and step down to save millions of lives’.
According to Ngarivhume, the so-called July 31 Movement is a “people’s project” which should not be hijacked by personalities angling for political gain.
“People are asking; if (Mnangagwa) and Zanu PF do the sensible thing and step down to save millions of lives, who will take over? I want to stress that #31July is the people’s project. It should not be hijacked for political gain,” said Ngarivhume in comments posted on his Twitter handle on Sunday.
“I believe the church and civil society will play an active role in facilitating the process of setting up a National Transitional Authority (NTA) that will guide Zimbabwe towards a new and exciting era,” he said.
The troubled southern African country is inescapably confronted with a looming political hurricane after the generality of Zimbabweans organised themselves using social media, to confront the long-ruling Zanu PF regime head-on amid worsening economic decay.
But the ruling party, which traditionally depends on security forces to crush dissent, has vowed to fight back and warned would-be protesters in a multiplicity of pressers.
The envisaged July 31 polls come in the wake of reports that internal ructions are reigning supreme in Zanu PF, with some high-ranking party officials accused of working hand-in-gloves with the dissenting masses to ensure that the planned protests will be successful.
Zwnews