CCC elected representatives confused after Chamisa...

CCC elected representatives confused after Chamisa's abrupt exit

Pondai B Shozhera

As Zimbabwe watchers within and without the country await Nelson Chamisa's next move after his predictable exit from Citizens Coalition for Change after losing face and control to Sengezo Tshabangu the real dilemma faces the elected legislators and councilors.

When Mount Pleasant legislator Advocate Fadzayi Mahere immediately announced that she was also quitting CCC to follow Chamisa, many social media users expected other elected CCC reps to follow suit thereby leaving Tshabangu an isolated clown.

But with less than 10 having made such a declaration so far, it is clear that for the hundreds others, the way is not so clear.

Activist Hopewell Chin’ono said : “Many CCC MPs have engaged me after I posted the attached tweet. Their predicament lies not in being disloyal to the cause, but in the huge financial debts that they find themselves in after funding their own 2023 election campaigns.

“They also argue that the disengagement move was done without consultation, so they were not prepared for it. Many of them say that the very root cause of not consulting others in the party is what led to this crisis. They felt that I and others are being unfair to them when we castigate them for not leaving Parliament after Chamisa’s announcement without paying attention to their financial obligations as these obligations may ruin their lives.

“They argue that they don’t even know what is coming after departing from Parliament.”

A number of CCC reps, who declined to be named said that they could not blindly follow Chamisa as he has not communicated his intention to them.

“I found out about his exit on social media. So I am in the dark on what's next. In that case it would be stupid to just leave my position and say I am following him, follow him to where? Maybe those who have declared solidarity- like Mahere, Hlatshwayo and Chigumbu- have been informed,” said one MP for a Harare constituency.

Another one said that he is not sure that Chamisa has learnt any lessons from experience and is likely to continue his dictator style of leadership which means his next project is also doomed.

“Chamisa had no choice. He had lost control of CCC and wanted to avoid a situation where he would find himself all alone. A lot has been happening and the factional fissures were growing wide and wider. The first problem is that Chamisa never listened to anybody, the real trademarks of total autocracy. It was always him and him alone. Without clear party structures, sane members of the opposition outfit could see that this was a deliberate move to avoid accountability," he said.

https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/7821/ccc-split-orphans-nelson-chamisa

Another one said the representatives invested in their election and cannot be expected to just abandon their hard-won seats on Chamisa's whim when he has not bothered to show them what awaits ahead.

“Now, politics for most of the legislators is a way of finding a living. There are legislators who may not find resigning easy, given that it comes at a cost. After funding their own election campaigns, they were hoping to at least recoup something from the allowances and perks that go with being a parliamentarian. It is not going to be an easy decision for most,” she said, adding that not all supporters will move with Chamisa.

A former prospective CCC MP, who lost out during the candidate selection process in a Harare constituency said some opposition players are beginning to wonder just where Chamisa's sympathies lie and if he is genuinely invested in democratic change.

“The fact that we don’t know Chamisa’s real position is even more confusing. Maybe he is neck-deep in Zanu PF. Tshabangu also has his followers who will not even consider leaving Parliament. Besides, it is their livelihood. They cannot endure another five years and then try to get back in 2028. There is no guarantee that they will win then and come back. The political landscape may have changed then,” he said.

Making reference to Hopewell Chin’ono’s post on X, Deputy Secretary (Presidential Communications)in the Office of the President and Cabinet, George Charamba, widely believed to be the face behind dhonzamusoro007, wrote:

“I will leave the issue of self-funded MP-ship. It is now common cause. Instead I will focus on their not knowing and not being consulted. They are being honest. What made it even more devastating is the fact that teams from Chamisa - led by Chibaya and including Hwende - and that of Tshabangu - I will not say who led it for now - were meeting. Little did they know that their leader, together with his kitchen cabinet – Mahere, Mpofu, Ostallos, among other little ones - had not only decided to ditch Triple C, but were just about to make an announcement to that effect.

“Meanwhile Chamisa’s team had been sent to make outrageous demands, including removing Tshabangu and restoring the 23 deleted MPs, as preconditions for unity. Little did the team realize they had been send to fail, on a mission of self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course, the other thing is they know not where they are being taken to. Or whether they are wanted, let alone needed, company. Above all, they are aware that Chamisa’s future may be decided elsewhere, well away from his microenvironment.”

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary, Nick Mangwana said that the CCC legislators will choose themselves over Chamisa.

“Hanzi vari kuti hatingaindi tisati tapuhwa mota. Ehe rambai imwi. (They are saying we cannot leave before we get cars. Please, refuse.)”

To add to the confusion, Tshabangu, in a statement following Chamisa’s resignation, said they will find ways of dialoguing with the former leader with a view to consider the concerns raised in his statement, among other things.

“It is important to remember that, President Chamisa was elected unopposed at the Gweru National Congress in May 2019. His leadership and presidency of the party has never been in dispute or contestation. Until his today statement, he was the undisputed president of the party,” said Tshabangu in the statement.

Some representatives who spoke to Zim Now said if there is hope for dialogue, it would therefore be premature to rush into decisions at any time now.

Another interesting angle is that with no formal communication sent to Tshabangu or the relevant authorities, even those like Mahere and Hlatshwayo who have declared that they are quitting CCC, have not yet effectively done so,

United Kingdom-based activist Makomborero Haruzivishe wrote on X on Friday:

“As law makers and councillors, I am sure they know that social media statements alone amount to nothing without the practical steps to write and deliver resignation letters to Parliament and council.

“Friday is a working day relevant Parliament and council offices are open; walk the social media talk and practically resign to distance self from CCC.”