APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has abandoned the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) name, saying the party has been “criminally handed over” to the governing ZANU PF by his internal opponents.
In a statement on Thursday, Chamisa said the original CCC idea has been “contaminated, bastardized (and) hijacked by ZANU PF through the abuse of State institutions.”
“This is to officially, and under my hand, inform you fellow citizens of Zimbabwe and the world, that, with immediate effect, I no longer have anything to do with CCC,” the youthful politician announced.
The CCC was plunged into turmoil late last year after an unknown figure, Sengezo Tshabangu, emerged from nowhere claiming to be the interim secretary general of the party and started calling the shots.
Tshabangu has over the past five months recalled scores of CCC lawmakers from parliament and municipal councils on the grounds that they had ceased to be members of the party.
The recalls occurred weeks after Chamisa had written to Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda and the local government ministry informing them that he was the only person allowed to recall CCC parliamentarians and councillors.
In Thursday’s statement, Chamisa, 45, said the 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,” he said.
He said “various schemes and carrots” have been dangled to entice CCC officials to undermine the party’s cause for freedom.
He did not disclose what his next move would be, only saying that he was “duty bound to find lasting answers to our perennial national questions.”
“I have been approached by war veterans, women’s groups, youth groups, church leaders, traditional leaders, trade unions, civil society and even various leaders on the continent on the ways to find a lasting solution to our problems as a nation.”
JN/APA