By Political Reporter-The People’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa narrowly avoided a potential contempt of court charge on Monday after complying with a summons to appear before the Zanu PF-aligned Harare City Commission of Inquiry.
The move by the regime was widely seen as a calculated trap to engineer his arrest.
Chamisa was summoned to testify before retired Justice Maphios Cheda during the inquiry, ostensibly to shed light on alleged corruption and mismanagement within the Harare City Council.
Critics argue this was part of a broader campaign to tarnish Chamisa’s reputation.
The regime likely anticipated that Chamisa, no longer directly linked to the council, might default, providing grounds for a contempt charge and subsequent arrest.
The Harare City Council, currently led by the controversial Sengezo Tshabangu, has been at the center of allegations of administrative chaos.
Tshabangu’s disputed appointments of councillors outside official Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) processes have fueled instability.
However, Chamisa stepped away from active council leadership before these controversies unfolded, a timeline that many believe clears him of any wrongdoing.
Critics have pointed out glaring contradictions in the state’s approach.
While the regime attempts to implicate Chamisa in the council’s alleged corruption, it had previously endorsed Tshabangu as the legitimate leader of the CCC.
When Chamisa formally informed Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda that he had not recalled any MPs or councillors, the state backed Tshabangu’s actions.
Chamisa’s spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba, denounced the summons as a wasteful display of political theatrics:
“This is another useless waste of taxpayers’ money by the illegitimate regime ruling Zimbabwe. Summoning the People’s President underscores Zanu PF’s weaponisation of the law to intimidate the legitimate winner of the 2018 and 2023 Presidential Elections. While the country loses an estimated US$1.2 billion annually to illicit gold flows—as confirmed by the Prosecutor General and Home Affairs Minister—the regime prioritises theatrics over critical issues like solving the energy crisis, reindustrialising the economy, and providing basic services such as housing, clean water, streetlights, and public transport.”
Siziba also noted that Chamisa’s decision to appear at the inquiry was deliberate, aimed at sidestepping the regime’s trap.
Adding to the inquiry’s questionable credibility, an audio recording presented as evidence allegedly implicated Councillor Duma, claiming he acted on Chamisa’s instructions.
However, the recording merely referenced public statements by both Chamisa and President Emmerson Mnangagwa condemning house demolitions.
Observers question why Mnangagwa was not summoned if such statements constituted actionable instructions.
Moreover, at the time of the alleged misconduct, Councillor Duma was not chairing the implicated committee, further undermining the commission’s claims.
Chamisa’s testimony dismantled these allegations, with the proceedings concluding in under 20 minutes.
His swift release highlighted the inquiry’s lack of substance and reinforced public perceptions that it was a sham.
The spectacle underscores the Zanu PF regime’s fixation on targeting opposition leaders rather than addressing Zimbabwe’s pressing challenges.
While the nation grapples with corruption, economic decline, and deteriorating public services, the government appears more interested in political vendettas.
As Chamisa aptly summarised in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter):
“Another colossal waste of public funds, another sham exposed. Zimbabwe deserves better.”
Chamisa’s strategic handling of the inquiry not only avoided legal entanglement but also exposed the commission’s true intentions, further cementing his position as a resilient opposition figure in the face of relentless state persecution.
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