BY BLESSED MHLANGA/RICHARD MUPONDE THE opposition MDC Alliance says it is ready to begin talks with Zanu PF to find lasting political and economic solutions for Zimbabwe but is not keen to deal with a rival faction led by its former secretary-general. MDC Alliance vice-president Tendai Biti told NewsDay that they were ready for talks with Mnangagwa, whom they accuse of stealing the 2018 elections as calls for dialogue between the country’s main political parties gather momentum. “We are prepared to talk to them without any conditionality, we haven’t said Emmerson Mnangagwa must cease to be President before we talk to him, we haven’t said that, but having said that, no one can seduce us to accept a lie and accept processes that were against our Constitution,” Biti said. “The coup of November 2017 and the election of 2018 is fact, but that is not a roadblock to dialogue, and we are ready for dialogue with our friends and compatriots at Zanu PF, because the people of Zimbabwe out there demand that,” he said. He, however, said his party would not entertain any talks with the MDC-T led by Mwonzora. “Mwonzora is a creation of Zanu PF, so why should we talk to him? It’s better to talk directly with the power behind him,” he added. Talks between Zanu PF and the MDC Alliance hit a snag after the opposition queried Mnangagwa’s legitimacy following a highly-contested Presidential result in 2018. Mnangagwa has insisted that he will only talk with Chamisa if his presidency was not in question. On the other hand, Chamisa has not recognised Mnanagwa’s Presidency and his MPs have reacted by not standing up in honour of the President whenever he walks into Parliament. They have also fiercely heckled Mnangagwa, or walked out on him each time he came to address Parliament. Chamisa has come under fire for lacking decisive leadership and a strategic plan to extricate Zimbabwe from the current challenges. Biti said while the MDC Alliance maintained its stance against Mnangagwa, talks could resume, adding that the party would not resort to violence. “We will not accept a situation where the agenda of our struggle is set by players outside the people of Zimbabwe, let the people of Zimbabwe set the agenda. We have balanced and walked a delicate balance between unleashing our people against a deranged psychotic regime that will create a situation that will leave 4 000 to 5 000 people dead,” he said. “We saw what happened on August 1, 2018. We saw what they did in January of 2019, and so we are going to balance the need to confront and the need to preserve human life.” Biti said his party would provide leadership and push for change ahead of the 2023 general elections, adding that the centre of the struggle should be the people of Zimbabwe. “The people of Zimbabwe must know that they are the agency of the change that is required in Zimbabwe, none but ourselves are our own liberators. We have to rise to the occasion, we have to rise to the subjective imperious, that the situation requires, we have to confront this regime. In doing so, I am not