Transcript
of
Nelson
Chamisa’s
address
to
the
media
on
January
23,
2026,
to
announce
his
return
to
active
politics:
Good
afternoon
ladies
and
gentlemen,
members
of
the
press
corps,
fellow
citizens.
I
come
to
you
at
a
critical
moment
in
the
history
of
our
country.
Possibly
after
two
years
of
having
left
the
dance
floor,
hoping
that
somebody
else
would
occupy
it,
I
now
see
that
no-one
has
chosen
to
do
so.
The
dance
floor
is
vacant.
I
have
therefore
seen
it
fit
to
return
to
the
floor,
to
dance
for
my
nation,
to
dance
for
the
citizens,
and
to
dance
for
the
future.
Our
nation
faces
a
pivotal
moment,
a
critical
juncture
in
its
history.
The
promise
of
independence
has
not
translated
into
the
rapid,
accelerated
transformation
we
hoped
for.
We
have
not
seen
transformation.
That
promise
has
been
hijacked.
We
have
not
seen
shared
prosperity.
We
have
not
seen
the
dignity
promised
to
citizens.
We
have
not
seen
the
sovereignty
that
was
pledged.
We
have
not
seen
opportunities
for
all.
Instead,
Zimbabwe
is
gripped
by
a
disputed
national
processes
cycle,
deepening
economic
hardship,
political
uncertainty,
social
collapse
and
moral
decay.
Government
services
and
support
systems
have
been
partisanised
—
delivered
along
political
lines.
We
are
witnessing
unfolding
instability,
heightened
national
anxiety
and
eroded
public
trust.
Zimbabwe
has
endured
decades
of
crisis
—
political
intolerance,
division
imposed
on
citizens
because
of
political
differences.
We
continue
to
suffer
from
a
debilitating
legitimacy
crisis
born
out
of
rigged
elections,
institutionalised
intolerance,
sponsored
hate,
endemic
corruption,
abuse
of
the
law,
the
hijacking
of
alternatives,
and
ubiquitous
state
capture.
For
Zimbabweans
in
the
diaspora,
life
has
not
been
easy.
The
struggle
is
real.
Many
continue
to
suffer
in
abject
poverty.
Immigration
challenges,
harassment,
embarrassment,
humiliation
and
detention
have
become
part
of
daily
life.
Yet,
concurrently,
we
have
witnessed
the
resilience
of
Zimbabweans,
a
resilience
that
remains
unbroken.
From
our
towns
to
our
villages,
in
factories,
industries,
in
the
diaspora
and
at
home,
the
call
is
clear:
change
must
happen.
Zimbabwe
must
reset.
Zimbabwe
needs
a
fresh
start.
This
is
the
moment,
a
moment
for
a
new
beginning
anchored
on
transformation,
unity,
hope
and
purposeful
action.
The
crisis
in
Zimbabwe
is
of
national
proportion.
It
is
a
crisis
of
governance.
A
leadership
crisis
characterised
by
disputed
processes,
discredited
elections
and
a
stolen
mandate
producing
instability,
shortages,
desperation
and
division.
Even
as
I
stepped
away
from
the
dance
floor,
we
have
been
working
tirelessly
behind
the
scenes.
Through
SADC
and
other
global
platforms,
we
have
been
building
solidarity
for
the
people
of
Zimbabwe.
We
must
be
clear:
a
false
fight
breeds
a
false
victory.
The
entry
point
to
Zimbabwe’s
crisis
must
be
properly
defined.
It
is
a
governance
crisis,
a
breakdown
of
constitutional
order,
national
consensus
and
governmental
legitimacy.
Zimbabwe
has
endured
vicious
cycles
of
disputed
elections,
unresolved
tensions
and
recurring
instability.
We
have
a
disputed
government,
disputed
mandates
and
a
disputed
constitutional
order.
Citizens
are
treated
as
subjects,
stripped
of
dignity,
sovereignty
and
collective
security.
For
the
past
two
years,
we
have
engaged
SADC
because
domestic
legal
avenues
were
blocked.
Even
if
it
takes
five,
ten
or
twenty
years,
disputed
elections
must
be
corrected.
If
we
do
not
fix
what
is
broken,
we
will
never
get
it
right.
Zimbabwe
needs
a
new
way.
The
challenge
of
our
politics
has
been
an
alternative
built
on
a
rotten,
compromised
and
exhausted
past,
a
past
that
has
stifled
the
emergence
of
a
credible,
authentic
alternative.
Old
ways
have
produced
entitlement,
fatigue,
corruption
and
a
culture
of
chasing
titles
instead
of
transformation.
That
is
why
Agenda
2026
represents
a
clean
break
from
the
mistakes
of
the
past,
a
commitment
to
rebuild
Zimbabwe
on
democratic
values,
constitutionalism,
competence,
compassion
and
ethical
leadership.
This
agenda
rejects
fear,
violence,
corruption,
greed
and
exclusion.
It
embraces
accountability,
service
and
citizen
leadership.
This
is
not
about
personalities
or
political
parties.
It
is
about
citizens.
It
is
about
purpose,
not
positions.
Renewal,
not
recycling.
First:
Building
a
new
national
consensus.
A
consensus
built
by
citizens,
for
citizens
and
about
citizens.
Unity
cannot
be
imposed;
it
must
grow
organically
through
dialogue,
consultation
and
shared
purpose.
Second:
Reclaiming
citizen
agency.
Real
change
is
not
delivered
by
politicians;
it
is
delivered
by
citizens.
We
are
building
an
awakened,
conscious
and
responsible
citizenry,
a
nation
of
leaders,
not
followers.
Third:
Preparing
for
the
next
government.
Our
endgame
is
a
citizens’
government
founded
on
competence,
capacity
and
character.
Governance
is
not
slogans,
it
is
systems,
ethics
and
execution.
Fourth:
A
moral
revolution.
Zimbabwe
does
not
need
new
faces;
it
needs
new
values.
We
must
celebrate
hard
work,
merit,
integrity
and
service.
This
moral
renewal
will
involve
the
church,
traditional
leaders
and
especially
the
youth.
Fifth:
International
engagement.
We
will
restore
Zimbabwe’s
standing
through
principled
global
advocacy,
forging
alliances
with
progressive
forces
and
mobilising
our
diaspora
as
ambassadors
for
a
fresh
start.
The
time
to
reset
is
now.
Agenda
2026
is
a
call
to
courage,
unity
and
action.
Mobilise.
Organise.
Build
grassroots
structures.
Engage
in
dialogue.
Join
the
new
way,
a
citizens’
movement
that
transcends
tribe,
race,
colour
and
party
affiliation.
To
Zimbabweans
in
the
diaspora:
you
are
the
backbone
of
our
economy.
You
will
no
longer
be
observers,
you
are
active
participants
in
this
movement.
Over
the
next
180
days,
our
focus
will
not
be
rallies
or
showmanship,
but
institutional
fortification
and
grassroots
resilience.
We
are
laying
foundations
that
cannot
be
destroyed.
Zimbabwe
can
and
will
work
again.
The
new
dawn
begins
with
us.
God
bless
you.
God
bless
Zimbabwe.
⸻
Question
and
Answer
Session
(Edited)
Q:
Are
you
abandoning
strategic
ambiguity
and
how
will
you
regain
supporter
confidence?
Chamisa:
Strategic
ambiguity
fortified
our
base,
that
is
why
we
won
in
2023.
It
is
not
meant
for
our
supporters
but
to
deny
our
opponents
intelligence.
Zanu
PF
has
not
remobilised;
it
has
collapsed
into
factions.
We
have
a
duty
to
lead,
and
we
will
execute
that
duty
with
grace.
Q:
Is
this
a
new
political
party
or
a
movement?
Chamisa:
I
think
I
must
help
you.
I
said
it’s
not
a
political
party,
it’s
a
movement.
And
a
movement
is
like
the
liberation
movement.
Who
was
the
president
of
the
liberation
movement?
What
was
the
constitution
of
the
liberation
movement?
But
the
movement
was
able
to
galvanise
people.
Yes,
you’ll
have
institutions
here
and
there,
but
we
want
to
build
a
movement
that
unites
Zimbabweans
around
a
cause,
around
a
case,
around
an
objective,
around
a
purpose.
And
that’s
what
we
are
preoccupied
with.
So
this
whole
thing
of
saying
is
it
a
new
yes
it’s
a
new
movement,
a
citizens
movement.
New
in
the
sense
that
you
are
going
to
see
everything
new
from
the
tactics
the
strategies,
the
structures,
the
leadership
and
the
way
we
organise
we
we
can’t
continue
to
have
funny
games
with
Zanu
PF
for
far
too
long.
Life
is
difficult.
We
are
suffering
as
if
we
don’t
have
a
country
yet
we
have
over
six
mineral
resources
to
our
name.
God
blessed
us
but
human
beings
cursed
us.
We
have
everything
in
this
country
except
leadership.
We
must
correct
that.
What’s
broken
must
be
fixed
and
that’s
our
focus
and
that’s
our
initiative.
So
I
hope
that
answers
it.
Q:
Does
forgiveness
mean
returning
to
old
alliances?
Chamisa:
Forgiveness
does
not
mean
repeating
mistakes.
Only
a
dog
returns
to
its
vomit,
and
we
are
not
dogs.
Q:
Your
response
to
the
2030
agenda?
Chamisa:
It
is
inconsequential.
Zimbabweans
do
not
support
it.
The
real
fight
is
restoring
constitutional
order,
not
engaging
in
false
battles.