A member who claims to be the interim secretary general of the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC), Sengezo Tshabangu, has written to Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, recalling some of the party’s Councillors and Members of Parliament.
Tshabangu is former MDC-T ( then led by Morgan Tsvangirai) Matabeleland North chairperson and PDP official.
He is allegedly the one who signed nomination letters that produced CCC double candidates for the August 23 elections.
In a letter dated October 3, 2023,Tshabangu told the Speaker to recall 16 members and “kindly proceed in terms of the relevant provisions of the Constitution, relating to members who have ceased to be members of a political party which they were elected under.”
Tshabangu went on to recall Pashor Raphael Sibanda MP of Cowdray Park, Erick Gono MP of Lobengula-Magwegwe, Nicola Jane Watson MP of Bulawayo South, Desmond Makaza MP of Mpopoma-Mzilikazi, Obert Manduna MP of Nketa including Sitabile Mlilo, Jasmine Toffa, and Evidence Zana of Proportional Representation (PR).
In Matabeleland South, Tshabangu recalled Morgan Ncube MP of Beitbridge West, Nomathemba Sibanda and Velisiwe Nkomo both under PR.
In Matabeleland North, Prince Dubeko Sibanda MP of Binga North and Bright Moyo Vanya MP of Lupane East were to be recalled.
In Harare, Tshabangu recalled Febion Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi MP of Mabvuku Tafara.
Tshabangu was not answering his phone or responding to messages when approached for comment.
CCC had not yet responded to enquiries at the time of publication.
This is not the first time, Tshabangu has expressed displeasure with CCC as during the nomination court challenges that saw the Bulawayo High Court barring 12 CCC parliamentary candidates in the city from participating in the national August 23, 2023 elections for allegedly submitting their nomination papers late during nomination court on June 21, he praised the move.
In a previous interview, Tshabangu had said CCC leader Nelson Chamisa should be held accountable for the loss because he was the driving force behind the party’s strategic ambiguity.
“It is a sad judgement but it is a judgement of our making,” said Tshabangu, who at the time said he was the CCC secretary for recruitment and mobilising at national level.
“We made this because we can’t contest in this election without a constitution. We can’t be in a contest without structures and leadership. This is an indication that we are not serious. We can blame Zanu for capturing the courts but this was our making. We filed late and this is the result of filing late because of not having organic structures for that matter.”
Tshabangu stated that since the judgment was delivered, it was “neither here nor there” if CCC submitted papers before 4pm.
“The message has been sent. What we have to do is pick ourselves up and make the leadership, make our leader Nelson Chamisa account for these losses. This is the first time in history, Bulawayo is not to have representatives of the opposition in Parliament,” Tshabangu said.
“Even if tomorrow Chamisa gets State House power, how is he going to govern without Bulawayo? This is shocking, he needs to account. We need to hold him accountable. I have worked with Chamisa, he was the president of the youth movement when we were in MDC.
“He was a national organiser, I was the chairperson of (Bulawayo) province at that time. Remember he is the same Chamisa who during his time as the national organising secretary introduced scientific organising and that scientific organising destroyed us. We got absolutely nothing and today he introduces a strategy of ambiguity and what has it produced – zero in Bulawayo. This is sad. He has to account, I have no kind words for him.”
