Addressing journalists on Monday at the end of a meeting of opposition parties that are planning a demonstration in Harare, National Electoral Reforms Agenda (NERA) convener, Dydimus Mutasa, revealed that a letter has been sent to Mugabe.

“We want to meet him so he can say what plans he has for the country. As citizens of this country it is legitimate that we see him. There is nothing wrong with meeting him,” Mutasa said.

Mutasa was once a Mugabe confidant. The former cabinet minister was removed from his job and expelled from the ruling Zanu PF party for having links to fired deputy president, Joice Mujuru.

Mutasa said the opposition parties under the banner of NERA and the Coalition of Democrats (CODE) want the nonagenarian to spell out his solutions to solve the worsening economic crisis.

Asked if he was angry with 92-year-old Mugabe, Mutasa, 81, said he still had respect for the nonagenarian leader and viewed him as a father.

“I like him very much and that is why we are asking for permission to go and see him.”

Mutasa said the demonstration to demand electoral reforms planned for Friday would go ahead with or without police clearance.

“The demonstration will end at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), where we will meet with the chairperson, Judge Rita Makarau, and the ZEC staff and give them our petition,” he said.

Mutasa said opposition parties and civic organisations felt that the electoral body was not properly constituted and was not as independent. Judge Makarau is also Judicial Services Commission chairperson – a situation which Mutasa said compromises her. He suggested that she gives up one of the positions.

“The demonstration is clearly about electoral reforms. We are hoping that Makarau will do that (step down from ZEC) without being coerced. She is an adult and a lawyer and she should know what is expected of her,” he said.

Zimbabwe has been rocked by numerous protests as the economic meltdown continues seemingly unabated.

Last week riot police used force to break up protests over the government’s plan to introduce bond notes amid a severe cash crises that has seen banks unable to service withdrawals.

Zimbabwe abandoned its own currency in 2014 and mostly uses the US dollar. Other currencies that include the rand, pula, Pound sterling, Euro, Australian dollar, Chinese yuan, Indian rupee and Japanese yen are also used in the troubled country.

ANA