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.
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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. 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. 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.
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