Chaos, disintegration: Chamisa's guaranteed New Ye...

Chaos, disintegration: Chamisa's guaranteed New Year presents to CCC

Pondai B Shozhera

As Zimbabweans at large, and Citizens Coalition for Change supporters in particular, wobble into 2024, under the weight of a challenging economic environment, CCC leader, Nelson Chamisa has guaranteed them at least a present or two.

Although Chamisa says he will turn on the power in 2024, this is cheap talk as his best chance was through the ballot in August of 2023.
For now, chaos and disintegration - which could have been avoided - have become an inherent trait of the opposition party.

What is happening in the CCC reminds people of Zanu PF internal politics from around 2014 to 2017 when factionalism reigned supreme in the ruling party.
The CCC should have learnt from that period, including cracks within the Movement for Democratic Change during the time when the late Morgan Tsvangirai was in charge of the opposition outfit.

It is commonly-held knowledge that no one man has the monopoly of knowledge that can beat the diversity of ideas offered by the collective.
Traditional African communities always offered the "dare" - which had its own weaknesses, especially on accommodating women, where ideas were exchanged before collective decisions were passed, which decisions were henceforth owned by the collective.

However, we have seen collective overtures being ignored, resulting in clashes and general chaos.
Several people, including Chamisa's inner circle, advised him on having a party constitution, holding a congress that would eventually have provided the opposition party with structures.

Such structures and a constitution would have given the CCC some semplance of democracy as it steered away from the MDC-Alliance, whose parentage Chamisa has divorced.

MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai umbilical cord

The most formidable opposition was the Movement for Democratic Change led by the late Morgan Richard Tsvangirai and the late former trade union leader
was the face of the opposition for years.
Tsvangirai is the only opposition leader who won an election against a Zanu PF presidential candidate when he beat the late Robert Mugabe in March 2008.

Enter Nelson Chamisa
Tsvangirai's death in South Africa on February 14, 2018 marked the beginning of the slow demise of the opposition as it led to endless internal fights within the MDC Alliance - a political outfit that brought together several opposition political parties. Chamisa, bent on taking over the leadership of the MDC-A engaged in fights against first, Thokozani Khupe, the only elected MDC-A vice president and later, Douglas Mwonzora for the leadership of the MDC-A. Chamisa should have gone to congress to fight for the leadership of the party but he did not, displaying serious autocratic traits.

August 23-24 harmonised elections
The run-up to the August 23-24 elections was probably the most tempting and it appears Chamisa gave in to the allure of absolute power, ordering all and sundry in CCC to accept his “strategic ambiguity” that eventually cost the CCC dearly.

Double candidates

Fissures within the CCC emerged during the candidate selection process when supporters voted for candidates of their choice with the decision on who would represent the party only being made during the 11th hour.
As a result, accusations and counter-accusations emerged with officials fingering one another in perceived forgery of nomination papers.

FAZ and the Zanu PF hand

Chamisa declared that this time around, he had put up systems to counter Zanu PF and what he has always claimed to be rigging at the hands of the ruling party.
Soon after the sitting of the nomination court, Chamisa alleged the hand of the Forever Associates of Zimbabwe in the CCC's double candidates dilemma. He also alleged infiltration by the ruling party.

Sengezo Tshabangu, a ‘beast’ that Chamisa created

Sengezo Tshabangu has always been in CCC since the mass movement abandoning the MDC-A that left Mwonzora at the helm.
The disgruntlement in the CCC in the run-up to elections widened the fissures that had already manifested in the opposition outfit, resulting in the chaos that threatens the very existence of the party.
Chamisa seems incapable of taking advice. Strategic ambiguity resulted in ambiguous situations that were exploited.
Chamisa claims he has no deputies in the CCC, no secretary-general but he had a spokesperson and a deputy among other appointments.
Tshabangu, therefore, is Chamisa's creation.

The future

Until a truly democratic process in the mould of a congress taking place in CCC, the current chaos will not end. In fact, it is likely to worsen. Chamisa has to accept reality and learn that political parties will never be personal property as members will always demand accountability from those in leadership, something which becomes difficult where there is not a single official close to the party leader in terms of positions.
If that does not happen, worse things await CCC because they should be preparing for 2028 in earnest.
The numbers the party has in the National Assembly should start working towards electoral and other reforms about which the party has always spoken.