By Staff Reporter

OUTSPOKEN MDC Alliance politician and trade unionist, Takavafira Zhou says partisan politics among citizens should take a step back in place of patriotism which is more developmental.

Zhou, who is MDC Alliance spokesperson for Midlands, told journalists in Kwekwe weekend the wedge between his party and Zanu PF continued to hold the country back.

“The challenge with Zimbabweans is to perceive themselves as either Zanu PF or MDC; that is useless,” Zhou said.

He called on Zimbabweans to be more patriotic before they could start subscribing to partisan politics.

“The most important aspect is that you might be MDC, you might be Zanu PF. The crucial issue where efforts must converge is in terms of ensuring that the nation or Zimbabwe at least progresses, that our economy is ticking, that the livelihoods of Zimbabweans are improving.

“Whatever, political parties anyone can belong to, the most important thing is that there must be dialogue, because we are foremost Zimbabweans and we must care to ensure that there is a better Zimbabwe and there is dialogue among political parties,” he said.

The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president also voiced his support for broad based dialogue to rescue the country from its current political and economic abyss.

“I want to encourage President Mnangagwa to engage President (Nelson) Chamisa as well as other leaders and ensure that we have a broad conception of engagement and dialogue,” he said.

Zhou said dialogue amongst all key stakeholders in the country will make the country’s politics more democratic.

He said dialogue must be about reforms and livelihoods of Zimbabweans.

“We need somewhere we can fall back on so that we pick ourselves up rather than to continue with this political bickering, acidity and rigidity it will not take us anywhere,” Zhou said.