By Special Correspondent
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – Zimbabwe Institute of Strategic Thinking (ZIST) executive director Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo has urged all political players to demonstrate tolerance of diversity and reconciliation in order to move the country forward.
Speaking to the media soon after the recently held stakeholder engagement in Harare, Muzamhindo was unequivocal his organization’s much touted Strategic National Dialogue Forum earmarked for changing Zimbabwe’s socio-political and economic landscape will be launched on the 28th of October this year.
“ZIST is there to create a conducive platform for all stakeholders to sculpt home grown solutions that will save Zimbabwe from a total collapse and our main thrust as ZIST is to ensure we have a common understanding hence the launch of Strategic National Dialogue Forum in October where all stakeholders will effectively participate to provide Strategic and solution focused thinking to the current trajectory”, he said.
“We had South African envoy recently, we had Mbeki, we had Global Political Agreement (GPA) but all these arrangements yielded nothing, a clear sign that we need a paradigm shift as far as approaching our problems is concerned”, said Muzamhindo adding that Zimbabweans should now leave politics of hash tags and confront their problems head-on.
The launch of the Strategic National Dialogue Forum next month will see all political parties, Government, the Church, Civic society, Academics ,Policymakers, students, business Community coming together to chart a way forward.
The ZIST director is confident they will bring President Emmerson Mnagangwa and MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa to a negotiating table marking the beginning of an honest process that will see the country’s economic and political setbacks addressed.
“Bringing Chamisa and Mnangagwa together isn’t that difficult and as ZIST we are optimistic we are going to bring the two together and the whole nation will celebrate. Recently in South Africa, Julius Malema and Ramaphosa held a joint presss conference calling for unity in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, a clear demonstration of unity of purpose which is lacking in Zimbabwe”, said the Policy researcher and ZIST founder.
Another Policy Researcher and University of Zimbabwe lecturer Dr. Tawanda Zinyama also welcomed ZIST’s push for an inclusive dialogue saying the platform has the ability to address the national nodus if all groups are represented.
“It’s progressive and welcome. I take multi-stakeholder to mean politician, business, church, civil society, media, youth, women organizations, disabled people etc. The starting point is to define and have common understanding of what is the national problem”, said Zinyama adding that politicians must not take a lead for the dialogue to have credibility.
Media Centre Director Mr. Enerst Mudzengi echoed Dr. Zinyama’s sentiments saying politicians on their own have failed to come up with the solutions and the current crisis needs a multi-stakeholder approach to come up solutions that are in the interest of all stakeholders.
The country is going through a difficult time and viable measures should be put in place to promote good governance, social cohesion, economic and political stability. The launch of Strategic National Dialogue Forum by ZIST will absolutely give Zimbabweans a reason to hope again.
For more information contact zimstrategicthinking@gmail.com
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