Sengezo Tshabangu Hints On More Recalls
Sengezo Tshabangu, the alleged mastermind behind the recalls of 15 CCC National Assembly representatives, has expressed the possibility of more recalls targeting individuals he believes are misusing their proximity to party leader Nelson Chamisa.
Tshabangu, claiming to be the party’s acting secretary general, stated through his spokesperson Mr Khaliphani Phugeni that the recall process aims to remove individuals who go against the party’s values, denying any intention to remove Chamisa from his leadership position.
The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, informed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of the vacancies created by the cessation of CCC party membership by the 15 opposition members. Tshabangu had previously written to Mudenda, notifying him of the party members’ disassociation.
The 15 recalled national assembly representatives are, Mr Ereck Gono (Lobengula-Magwegwe), Mr Nicola Watson (Bulawayo South), Mr Prince Dubeko Sibanda (Binga North), Mr Bright Vanya (Lupane), Mr Desmond Makaza (Mpopoma-Mzilikazi), Mr Obert Manduna (Nketa), Mr Morgan Ncube (Beitbridge West), Mr Pastor Raphael Sibanda (Cowdray Park), Mr Febian Kufahakutizwi (Mabvuku-Tafara), Mr Evidence Zana (Youth Representation), Ms Janeth Dube, Ms Sitabile Mlilo, Ms Nomathemba Sibanda, Ms Jasmine Toffa and Ms Velisizwe Nkomo (all Proportional Representation).
According to Mr. Phugeni, they have received numerous complaints from people across the country expressing dissatisfaction with self-imposed candidates. He told the Chronicle:
We are getting a lot of presentations from different parts of the entire country, people are not happy about persons who either imposed themselves by name dropping or abuse. Others went as far as faking conversations where they created false impressions that they are in charge just by some social media conversations with President Chamisa and that he has ordered that so and so must go and contest here and there, so those are all the issues that we are attending to. If there is a veracity to any of those claims, then yes indeed you can expect more action.
When questioned about Tshabangu’s authority to make the recalls in the absence of party structures, Phugeni said the actions were being carried out by an interim secretary general, similar to how Chamisa, as the interim president, has been functioning. He said:
As has been made clear that the office is that of the interim secretary general, there is no dispute that there are no structures as yet but just as much as we do have the office of the interim leader right now in the form of our president, the change champion in chief, there is the office of the interim secretary general to do the day to day communications and administration of the party and it is in that capacity that we have acted, having travelled throughout the country where we met party cadres and this is their decision by the way that the party can not afford to veer off the correct path. If we are going to democratise Zimbabwe, we must start within ourselves and we frown upon imposition issues. Undermining local people who must have a right to choose their representatives must not be allowed, no amount of manipulation will be tolerated.
Phugeni dismissed suggestions that the real objective behind the recalls was to target Chamisa and remove him from his position as party leader. He emphasised that there was no intention to recall Chamisa and that he was considered the right person to lead the party based on its values, principles, character, and nature. Phugeni stated that those who rely on name-dropping and misuse their access to Chamisa might misrepresent the recalls as an attack on him. He said in reality, the recalls strengthen the party and enhance Chamisa’s standing within the community.
The CCC party has given a 14-day deadline for the prompt reversal of recalls of its members. Failure to do so will result in political and diplomatic actions, including reaching out to organisations like the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The party announced on Wednesday 11 October 2023 that it was disengaging from official activities in the National Assembly, Senate and councils.
