Advocate Thabani Mpofu has made a statement that has been interpreted as dissuading the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) from calling for fresh elections. Mpofu suggests that it is better to fight to retain what they currently have while also striving to recover what they believe was stolen from them.
The CCC won 73 seats in the National Assembly during the recent harmonized elections, but their presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa, lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ZANU PF party. The CCC alleges that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), in collaboration with ZANU PF, manipulated the electoral results in favour of Mnangagwa. Initially, the CCC intended to challenge the presidential election results only, but they have now decided to reject all results, claiming that the electoral process was flawed, a view shared by various observer missions.
Mpofu, popularly known for representing the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance in a 2018 lawsuit against the ZEC regarding that year’s presidential election, expressed his disagreement. He presented an analogy:
You have $100 in $1 notes, a thief snatches $63 and you fight hard to keep the $37; do you hand over the $37 to them in order to make the point that you have been stolen from or you keep the $37 and still try to fight for your $63?
Journalist Zenzele Ndebele responded to Mpofu’s post on X, suggesting that the CCC might not boycott parliamentary and council activities since they won those positions, but consider the presidential election as “stolen.” Ndebele said:
This could simply mean CCC will not boycott parliament and councils coz they won but presidential was “stolen”. End of story. See you in 2028.
The CCC is pushing for fresh elections in Zimbabwe, aiming for the involvement and guidance of other stakeholders such as SADC and AU. However, political analysts have expressed doubts about the CCC’s ability to successfully challenge the ZEC’s declaration in court, as they believe the courts are captured by the ruling ZANU PF party.