Kuwadzana East Member of Parliament (MP), Chalton Hwende, has urged Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the main opposition in Zimbabwe, to engage in a conversation with Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, and Job Sikhala, senior officials of the party.
This comes amidst reports of tensions between Chamisa and the rest, who are dissatisfied with his leadership style. They claim he disregards constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, openness, and collective leadership. Furthermore, they accuse him of employing social media trolls to spread false narratives about them, aiming to oust them from the party.
- Biti Accuses Chamisa Of Creating A Parody Account To Attack Him
- Welshman Ncube Suggests Chamisa Is Pushing “Others Out Of The Party”
On the other hand, these officials are accused of collaborating with the self-proclaimed interim secretary-general of the party, Sengezo Tshabangu, to recall CCC Members of Parliament and councillors. However, they deny these allegations. Hwende, who is also accused of working with Tshabangu, emphasises the importance of unity within the party, acknowledging that while Chamisa is the best candidate to challenge the ruling ZANU PF party, cohesion is crucial. He said:
President Chamisa is the best foot forward to remove ZANU PF. Anyone who thinks otherwise is making a mistake. He represents the millions who have a national grievance with ZANU PF. He needs a conversation with Hon Biti , Hon Job Sikhala and Hon Ncube. They must work together and jointly must broaden their alliance to include key opposition and civic society leaders. We need a broad based democratic movement behind Nelson Chamisa to win against ZANU.
Hwende is not the first senior official in the CCC to express concern over the divisions between Chamisa, Biti, and Ncube. Recently, former Education minister David Coltart also voiced disappointment in the reported disagreements among these “trusted friends”. Coltart believes that despite facing challenges, these individuals have consistently shown their commitment to a free and democratic Zimbabwe. He emphasised that the only ones benefiting from the current divisions are the ruling ZANU PF party and corrupt leaders. Coltart called for remembrance of their dedicated work and hoped it would restore their relationships, enabling them to work together towards their shared goals since the formation of the MDC in September 1999.
Tensions arose before the August 23-24, 2023 elections in Zimbabwe. Some leaders, including Biti, were unhappy with the “Bereka Mwana” process used to select the party’s candidates for the elections. They had concerns about the party’s identity, structure, strategy, and procedures. Chamisa, in an attempt to outsmart the ruling ZANU PF party, adopted a strategy of “Strategic Ambiguity” that involved keeping things secret. However, this strategy resulted in a lack of clear structures within the party, with more power centralised around Chamisa.