Chamisa was silent for the next three days before tweeting: “WiNNERS QUIT NOT. We remain focused on the goal to transform our beloved country, revamping its politics and leadership standards to leave a legacy and make a mark. We need a revolution of morals, resetting of values and reformation of character. We lead differently!!#Godisinit.”
The MDC leader had gone soft on tweets but still maintained, eight weeks after the elections, that he won the polls and had a critical role to play in his beloved country.
His supporters, mainly on twitter, have swallowed every word, every promise, and continue to urge him to maintain that stance. He should never entertain Mnangagwa, they argue, especially talk about him being officially recognised as opposition leader in Parliament and being given a “salary” and perks.
That would be selling out, they maintain.
One political observer, however, says the stance by Chamisa though appealing to his supporters is costing him dearly because his refusal to accept defeat and rubbishing the decision by the country’s highest court has worn out people that initially sympathised with him.
While this is difficult to assess as Chamisa attracted a bumper crowd at the only rally he has held in Chitungwiza after the elections, his fund-raising campaign to pay legal costs for the Constitutional Court challenge seems to confirm this fatigue.
Chamisa was ordered to pay the lawyers for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and those who represented Mnangagwa.
The bill has not yet been disclosed but initial reports were talking of about $3 million.
Chamisa launched the Nelson Chamisa Trust Fund to raise the money through local mobile cash platform Ecocash and through five South African banks.
MDC representative in the United Kingdom Yvonne Gwashavanhu also started raising money through crowd-sourcing platform GoFundMe on 26 August.
While it is difficult to trace how much money has been raised through Ecocash and the South African banks, one can trace every payment into GoFundMe.
Thirty days after its launch Chamisa has raised £22 540 through GoFundMe. The target is £100 000. The amount was contributed by 1 094 giving an average contribution of £20.60.
What is interesting is that some £5 966 was contributed by 275 donors in the first 20 hours which translated to almost £300 an hour.
But fatigue hit the fund, just after two weeks. Only 10 people have donated £168 in the past 15 days, almost half what people were contributing an hour when the campaign was launched.
Chamisa now seems to be seriously reflecting. His last tweet was on Monday and was about reports that Mnangagwa wanted to formally elevate him to leader of the opposition in Parliament.
“DON’T BE MISLED BY HEADLINES…There’s no offer from Mnangagwa & no dialogue or contact with him. Our struggle is by & for YOU THE PEOPLE. Your WILL & wellbeing come first. My role in the struggle is not about per+ks, position, title or entitlement but to fight for you.#Godisinit,” Chamisa said.
Mnangagwa’s spokesman, George Charamba, said there seemed to be a misunderstanding about the post of leader of opposition. Mnangagwa wanted to create a formal “Office of the Leader of the Opposition”. This was not a personal accommodation for any particular individual but was about long-term institution-building in line with the Second Republic’s ethos of strengthening democracy in Zimbabwe.
“Let me emphasise this: the President is focused on institution building rather than accommodating an individual. A clear distinction must be made between institution-building for inclusive, sustainable democracy and accommodating an individual, who happens at this point in time to be Nelson Chamisa,” Charamba said.
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