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.
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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.
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