ZIMBABWE’S main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday finally abandoned the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) saying the party had been hijacked by Zanu PF.Chamisa formed the CCC in 2022 after being haunted out of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) by Douglas Mwonzora with the help of the courts.
“The original CCC idea has, however, been contaminated, bastardised, hijacked by Zanu PF through the abuse of State institutions,” Chamisa said in a statement yesterday.“CCC has not been aligned to its founding purpose and mandate.
“Further, CCC has now been rendered an extension of and been taken over by Zanu PF. CCC has, to all intents and purposes, been criminally handed over to Zanu PF.“Our politics has been defiled by schemes of personal aggrandisement upon a runaway pursuit of politics of positions, title, benefits, trinkets and trappings of office.
“A contaminated, bastardised, hijacked CCC cannot deliver a new great Zimbabwe! But then God’s grace is sufficient! Indeed, God is in it.”His announcement follows weeks of speculation on the future of the CCC after the party was thrown into disarray when Sengezo Tshabangu emerged from nowhere claiming to be the interim secretary-general of the party and calling the shots.
Tshabangu has recalled scores of CCC legislators and councillors, with a by-election set for February 3 to fill the vacant posts.The first by-election caused by Tshabangu’s recalls was held in December.
CCC interim deputy spokesperson, Gift Siziba, recently hinted that Chamisa was on the verge of unveiling a new party.Former CCC officials, who spoke to NewsDay yesterday, said legislators and councillors could choose either to follow Chamisa or stay in the opposition party.“We have had meetings since last year indicating that we should quit this thing because it’s a poisoned chalice. A man must be prepared to start over. Revolutionaries must be prepared to start over,” the official exclusively told NewsDay.
the decision to ditch the CCC.Chamisa accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his party of trying to create a government-controlled opposition.
“They want to create a weak opposition and a puppet leadership without a base, which compromise on fundamentals of democracy, accountability and good governance,” he said.Chamisa called for all-inclusive politics to address the legitimacy problem and return Zimbabwe to majority rule.