HARARE – Former Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa has formally returned to frontline politics, unveiling what he called Agenda 2026, a broad-based citizens’ movement aimed at unseating President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government and delivering what he described as a “fresh start” for Zimbabwe.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday after nearly two years out of active politics, Chamisa said Zimbabwe was facing a “crisis of governance” marked by disputed elections, economic collapse, corruption and institutional decay.
“I left the dance floor hoping somebody else would occupy it, but it has remained vacant. I have seen it fit to return to dance for my nation, for the citizens and for the future,” Chamisa said.
He accused the government of presiding over rigged elections, state capture and the erosion of citizens’ dignity, saying the promise of independence had been “hijacked”.
“Zimbabwe is gripped by disputed national processes, deepening economic hardships, political uncertainty, social collapse and moral decay,” he said.
Chamisa said that Agenda 2026 was not a political party, but a citizens’ movement designed to transcend party, tribe, race and class.
“This is not about positions or personalities. It is about purpose. It is a movement by the citizens, for the citizens and from the citizens,” he said.
With no clear form or structure for his movement, Chamisa’s approach will revive lingering scepticism among critics who argue that his leadership style remains overly personalised.
As leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change, Chamisa deliberately avoided formal structures under what he termed “strategic ambiguity”, a strategy supporters later blamed for leaving the party exposed to capture by self-styled secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu. That episode culminated in the recall of dozens of CCC MPs and councillors and Chamisa’s eventual decision to abandon the party altogether.
His renewed insistence on a loosely defined “citizens’ movement”, rather than a clearly constituted organisation with defined roles, institutions and lines of authority, will raise questions over whether he has fully internalised the lessons of the CCC’s collapse, or whether the emphasis remains on mass mobilisation around a central figure rather than durable institution-building.
He said the movement would focus on five key pillars: Building a new national consensus; reclaiming citizen agency and leadership, preparing for a future citizens’ government; driving a “moral revolution” and re-engaging the international community
Chamisa said unity would be built “organically from below” through dialogue, consultation and consensus, rather than elite-driven politics.
“We fall together, we rise together. There is no separate destiny for a few,” he said.
Chamisa placed strong emphasis on Zimbabweans in the diaspora, describing them as the “backbone” of the economy and promising them a central role in the movement’s structures and global advocacy campaign.
“Our diaspora will no longer be observers. They will be active participants and ambassadors of change,” he said.
Responding to questions from journalists, Chamisa dismissed suggestions that Zanu PF had re-mobilised during his absence.
“Zanu PF has actually demobilised. It is factionalised, in debris. Many are still there in body, but their spirit is gone. They have joined the rest of the citizens,” he said.
He rejected calls to “move on” from the disputed 2023 elections, insisting unresolved electoral flaws must still be corrected.
“If we don’t fix what’s broken, we will never get it right,” he said.
Chamisa said his call for forgiveness did not mean repeating past political mistakes or reviving former alliances.
“Only a dog feeds on its vomit. We are not dogs,” he said.
He also dismissed Zanu PF’s reported plan to extend Mnangagwa’s second and final term from 2028 to 2030 as “foolishness”, saying Zimbabweans did not support it and that the real issue was the collapse of constitutional order.
“There is no constitution in this country. It has been shredded,” Chamisa said.
Chamisa said the next six months would focus on grassroots organisation, legal and institutional work, rather than rallies, with a detailed programme of action to be announced later.
“The journey to a new great Zimbabwe does not begin when we become government. It begins with the foundation we lay today,” he said.
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