Kuwadzana East legislator Chalton Hwende (Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)) has withdrawn from the party’s rural mobilisation exercise, citing hostile social media comments from colleagues in the party.
He said he would now concentrate on other arms of the party, according to NewsDay. He is quoted as saying:
My withdrawal from rural mobilisation is strictly attributed to people who are hostile on social media platforms; not any other reason.
Earlier, Hwende had tweeted:
Yesterday I addressed a ward meeting of @CCCZimbabwe volunteers in Mhondoro. We prefer smaller meetings to counter victimisation. This is probably my last meeting. I have noticed the negative comments from our CCC citizens on Twitter whenever I go to mugwazo in Mhondoro. I have also considered the stress and anguish which most of the comments cause to my teenage kids.
The reason I agreed to help in Mhondoro was to assist in growing the rural vote. I did 38-weekend meetings this year, funding myself and abandoning my work at my logistics company.
As a leader in the movement, I have a responsibility to take into account the negative comments on Twitter and also introspect. I will use the December holiday to do exactly that. I love my citizens’ movement the @CCCZimbabwe and will continue contributing in other areas.
CCC has been engaged in the mugwazo rural mobilisation programme to lure the rural vote ahead of next year’s polls.
The campaign is meant to encourage citizens to register to vote in numbers for the 2023 polls.
In his own words, CCC deputy national spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba said, “Rural mobilization is our key focus… Together we can win Zimbabwe for Total Transformation.“