Fissures emerge in Chamisa’s blue movement

Zim Now Writer

All has not been well following the resignation of Citizens Coalition for Change leader, Nelson Chamisa, who opted to align himself with what has been termed the Blue Movement.

Fissures are already growing with supporters now not sure where to go as the conflicts are mainly being driven by individual greed.

Championed mainly by Gift Ostallos Siziba and Amos Chibaya – both of whom were elbowed out of the February 3 by-elections by the courts – the blue movement’s first engagement with the public took place in Mutare, Manicaland Province.

The CCC’s rank and file, from whom the Blue Movement will get its support base, never got to know and understand how Siziba and Chibaya ended up at the forefront of the Mutare engagement.

As the majority of CCC supporters were being taken for a ride that the Southern African Development Community would at some point order a re-run of the August 2023 elections, Chalton Hwende sought to tell the truth, posting on X: “After our formal meeting with the Sadc Executive Secretary, I had a brief chat with him on the sidelines. He was surprised and concerned that some citizens of Sadc believes (sic) that Sadc can re-order an election in a member State,” Hwende wrote.

Senior party official, Prince Dubeko Sibanda, questioned how the two had been chosen.

“Dishonesty has to be stopped before the new. We can’t continuously support wrong things. The starting point is who sent Ostallos, Chibaya and others to Manicaland? How did they choose themselves? Let us give power to decide to the majority,” he questioned.

Another official, one Dr Kapepa even queried the authenticity of the pictures that were coming from Manicaland. “Are these pictures real?”

Kuwadzana East legislator, for long suspected to have been with the Sengezo Tshabangu camp, Chalton Hwende, writing on X, accused unnamed individuals of being power-hungry by imposing themselves in the new movement.

“The president in his letter clearly said we must wait for a further announcement. Why is there a stampede to force the President to announce his move or associate with the so-called Blue Movement? Opposition is full of compromised people.

“We must all step aside and allow the president to form a genuine movement with NEW people and genuine old cadres. A number of people were labelled, condemned and physically assaulted at the Harare meeting president Chamisa abhors violence. Let’s wait for the president vanoda zvigaro sitereki vatofanozvipo zvigaro itai (those who are greedy for positions, wait) steady, let’s wait for the President,” said Hwende.

“The president said he will communicate his way forward. A lot of people who were imposing candidates, imposing mayors and deputy mayors and lying, abusing the president’s name are now championing the so-called blue movement.

“Let’s leave the president to rest and decide on the next step like he said. The CCC X handle is now being operated by people who were fired by the president but refused to hand over the passwords. We will now start talking,” he said.

Exiled former Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo also commented: “Chamisa ditched in a huff and ran away from last month after its false start led to a dead end – the ‘blue train’ has been fatally derailed by Siziba and Chibaya after they, apparently unilaterally, started it as yet another ‘Chamisa Praise and Worship’ political circus. While Ostallos and Chibaya may have intended to make Chamisa’s pictures appear awesome with an alluring heavenly look, perhaps to give the impression that they’re inspired by the Holy Spirit – which Chamisa says is his chief advisor – the self-evident fact is that the 'God-Is-In-It’ Chamisa pictures displayed by Ostallos and Chibaya in Bulawayo today are juvenile, embarrassing and politically self-defeating,” the ex-Minister wrote.

Willard Madzimbamuto, who has landed the Seke National Assembly seat under the CCC ticket in August 2023 but dismally lost when he stood as an independent candidate in the February 3 by-elections, also waded into the saga.

While commenting on Caston Matewu’s X post, described that Blue movement as a “ficticious and deceptive factional agenda”.

“The Blue brigade is a fictitious & deceptive factional agenda. A classic example of abuse of perceived proximity to power? Mkomana haamo muchinhu ichi! Ndini ndadaro! (Chamisa is not involved in this project. I have said so!) We must be disturbed when once a great movement that filled stadiums now celebrated in halls and homes.”

Matewu had posted, again on X: “Kana kune gore rezvidzidzo, ndiro rino (If there is ever a year of learning, then it is this year). Proximity to power deludes some into believing they wield it . I know I am on the right side of history,” Matewu wrote, in veiled reference to Ostallos and Chibaya.

It might not be complete to look at those who have remained – especially sitting legislators - in the CCC as, besides confusion on what to do next, they cannot be seen openly talking about their tomorrow.