By Own Correspondent
The United African National Council (UANC) has issued a bold and urgent call for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to resign, citing Zimbabwe’s worsening economic collapse, deepening poverty, and unchecked political infighting within the ruling ZANU PF party.
In a strongly worded statement delivered by the party’s Secretary-General and spokesperson, Aliphios Mapuranga, the UANC condemned what it described as the “shrinking of life” for ordinary Zimbabweans and accused the government of failing to offer any meaningful solutions.
“Unemployment, which has soared beyond 90% in a country that once ranked among Africa’s most educated, has rendered life meaningless for millions. Poverty and corruption have been normalized, and yet the ZANU PF government is doing nothing,” said Mapuranga.
The UANC further criticized the political elite for focusing on internal power struggles instead of addressing the nation’s pressing economic and social issues.
“Those in authority are busy fighting for power while the economy continues to shrink. This is unacceptable. The President, who is supposed to be in control, has failed. He should do the honourable thing and resign,” the statement read.
Mapuranga recalled a letter the party wrote to former President Robert Mugabe in October 2017, warning him of the growing factionalism within ZANU PF and its harmful effects on governance. That letter was also copied to then-Vice President Mnangagwa.
“We advised Mr Mugabe to act, but he ignored us. Today, we give the same warning to Mr Mnangagwa: smell the coffee. The net is fast closing in on you,”said Mapuranga.
“It would be unfair for you to go the Mugabe way over a situation you can still manage,”he added.
The UANC is now calling for the establishment of a Transitional Government of National Unity, which it says is the only viable option left to stabilize the country and rebuild public trust.
“Your party alone, divided as it is, no longer has the capacity to lead this country out of the crisis. Zimbabwe needs all hands on deck to reverse the rot your administration has caused,” said Mapuranga.
The United African National Council (UANC) is one of Zimbabwe’s historic political parties, led in its heyday by the late Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa. Formed in the 1970s, the UANC was a significant political force during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and briefly governed the country under the Internal Settlement agreement of 1979.
Muzorewa became the first black Prime Minister of what was then called Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, though the settlement was not recognized internationally.