The return of Nelson Chamisa to active politics has drawn mixed reactions from Zimbabweans, nearly two years after he stepped away as the public face of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
Chamisa, who led the CCC in the disputed 2023 general elections, recently announced his re-entry with the launch of Agenda 2026 — a citizens’ movement he says is intended to challenge the long-ruling Zanu-PF.
Speaking during an online discussion hosted by Asakhe Online on X (formerly Twitter), political analyst Nickson Mpofu criticised Chamisa’s earlier withdrawal, arguing that it left opposition politics rudderless.
“When he left the ‘dance floor’, as he describes it, he left it in chaos,” Mr Mhofu said. “He abandoned about two million people who had entrusted him with their votes.”
Mpofu said the absence of a clear opposition leader had effectively handed Zanu-PF unchecked political space.
“There was no one who stepped up to challenge Zanu-PF governance,” he said. “Zanu-PF is actually enjoying what looks like a one-party state because there is absolutely no opposition.”
He added that opposition members of parliament had failed to mount sustained resistance, saying their presence had largely been reduced to drawing allowances, with only occasional interventions.
“Now that he has returned, citizens can only wait and see what he has planned,” Mpofu said.
However, some former CCC officials have defended Chamisa’s approach, arguing that his decision to adopt a movement-based model reflects lessons drawn from past electoral defeats.
Promise Mkhwananzi, a former CCC spokesperson, said Chamisa’s step back from party structures should not be interpreted as an exit from politics, but as a period of reflection and consultation.
“President Chamisa said he was stepping back from the CCC, not leaving politics,” Mkhwananzi said. “He took time to consult widely within the Progressive Forces movement and reflect on how opposition politics should be organised.”
He said experiences from the 2018 and 2023 elections had exposed the limitations of traditional party structures in a political environment where, he claimed, Zanu-PF had refined methods of manipulating state institutions.
Mkhwananzi argued that a movement-based approach was more inclusive and issue-driven than conventional political parties, which he said often became consumed by internal hierarchies and competition for positions.
“The idea that this country needs a movement rather than a political party is still new to many people,” he said. “In a movement, power comes from advancing people’s issues, not from holding office.”
He said political parties, including the CCC, had often prioritised positions such as council and parliamentary seats, creating a false sense of progress without meaningful change on the ground.
According to Mkhwananzi, Agenda 2026 aims to focus on everyday concerns, including water, healthcare, education and youth unemployment, with leadership emerging from those already engaged in addressing such problems.
“Those who are focused on positions will not be attracted to the movement because there is no promise of office,” he said. “It is a test of whether people are willing to serve without expecting a title.”
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