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Zimbabwean opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance, has reportedly said that it has "no appetite to remove [President Emmerson] Mnangagwa from power", as it vowed to go ahead with its planned anti-government protests.
According to NewsDay, MDC secretary general Douglas Mwonzora, said his party was not interested in removing Mnangagwa from power but wanted "key national questions" resolved.
"We do have plans to demonstrate and the aim is to force authorities to address key national questions, including governance, legitimacy and devolution.
"Like all other previous demonstrations, we have held in the past, these will be peaceful and the party leadership will go out of its way to make sure of that and exercise restraint. It has never been our intention to depose anyone from power," Mwonzora was quoted as saying.
This came as the country's state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), reported this week that the MDC Alliance was planning mass protests "meant to force a constitutionally elected government to hand over power to the opposition party".
Security measures
The report quoted Chamisa as saying that the demonstrations should culminate in conceding power to the opposition.
Mnangagwa won the July 30 election with 50.6% of the vote - just enough to meet the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off against MDC's Chamisa, who scored 44.3%.
"I am here to seek your support. If you say we should take to the streets we will do that because I believe it is time that we claim our victory," Chamisa was quoted as saying.
But Home Affairs Minister Cain Mathema said that government was aware of the sinister plan to remove Mnangagwa from power, adding that the government would quash any insurgence, reported Bulawayo24.
Mathema said that the government had "put in place security measures to deal with malcontents planning to disturb the peace prevailing in the country through illegal demonstrations", the report said.
The MDC party, however, denied the claims, and accused the country’s national public broadcaster, of spreading hate speech.
The party said it would announce dates for its planned demonstration in due course.
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