Chamisa: A Huge Scam - Manufactured CCC Double Candidates

Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition party Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC), has denied reports that the party fielded two candidates in some constituencies, calling it a scam. Chamisa stated that the party’s inspection teams had visited the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to verify the submitted nominations and found that the so-called “double candidates” had forged signatures and the CCC logo. He explained that the party’s logo is embossed and not a photocopy, and the nominations were not countersigned by the designated officials of the CCC.

Chamisa described the situation as a sting operation and stated that the party would explore legal remedies to have the matter resolved by ZEC. In a post seen by Pindula News, Chamisa emphasized the urgency of pursuing this remedy and ensuring that the electoral process remains fair and transparent. He said:

A HUGE SCAM – MANUFACTURED CCC DOUBLE CANDIDATES..

Our teams have just been to ZEC to inspect the submitted nominations. It’s clear that the so called ‘double candidates’ forged signatures and the CCC logo. Our CCC logo is embossed and not a photocopy as is the case with the ‘double candidates’. In addition, those nominations were not countersigned for by the designated officials of CCC. It’s clearly a sting operation! We will explore the remedies available at law which enjoin ZEC to resolve this matter. We are pursuing this remedy with immediacy and urgency necessary.

This came after reports that the opposition party fielded two candidates for two Bulawayo constituencies, namely Pelandaba-Tshabalala and Pumula, which is a violation of electoral regulations.

The party’s official list only mentions one candidate for each constituency. The Chronicle reported that Sichelesile Mahlangu and Albert Mhlanga were fielded for Pumula, while the party only mentions Sichelesile Mahlangu. Similarly, Gift Ostallos Siziba and Soneni Moyo were reportedly fielded for Pelandaba-Tshabalala, but the official list only mentions Gift Ostallos Siziba. 

The Chronicle cites the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)’s list of parliamentary candidates who successfully filed their nomination papers in Bulawayo for the upcoming election. The publication also notes that 19 candidates were disqualified from participating in the election as they failed to pay the required nomination fees.

According to the Electoral Act, any person who forges a signature of a nominator as a candidate or knowingly lodges a nomination paper with a forged signature is guilty of an offense. The penalty for this offense is a fine not exceeding level fourteen, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Additionally, a convicted candidate may be disqualified from being nominated or elected as a member of Parliament for a period of five years from the date of conviction.

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