Fadzayi Mahere, a Member of Parliament for Mt Pleasant Constituency, has expressed her support for Nelson Chamisa’s decision to leave the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). She believes that the CCC cannot be legitimate without Chamisa. She said:
There’s no legitimate CCC without our Change Champion in Chief. There’s no legitimate Parliament without respect for the will of the people. I stand by Adv @nelsonchamisa ’s decision and join him in leaving the charade. I remain committed to fighting for true democracy and better lives for all Zimbabweans. To those who believed, voted and supported, I owe you my deepest gratitude. I will be communicating with you directly soon to map a way forward.
Chamisa announced his departure from the CCC on January 24, 2024, and there are rumours that he plans to form a new party. If Mahere joins him, she may have to give up her position in Parliament.
Takudzwa Ngadziore, the CCC’s Harare Youth Quota Representative in Parliament, echoed Mahere’s sentiments. He believes that without Chamisa, the CCC would become a smaller version of the ruling ZANU PF party. The former ZINASU president said:
You’ aptly stated my position. We were not born in Parliament. Being there is only necessitated by the desire to serve. A CCC without @nelsonchamisa is a ZANU-PF lite. The masses are waiting for our leadership. Freedom or Death, the way to go! A New Great Zimbabwe is possible!
What Comes Next?
The likely scenarios following Chamisa’s departure involve CCC Members of Parliament and councillors potentially withdrawing and joining Chamisa’s new party. If this happens, the nation will likely face additional by-elections, which can cost a significant amount of money. The ongoing by-elections have already consumed $11 million. Alternatively, the CCC may choose not to recall the members who align with Chamisa to maintain its status as the main opposition party in terms of the number of MPs. According to the Political Parties (Finance) Act in Zimbabwe, political parties without parliamentary representation are not eligible to receive funding from the Political Parties Fund. The Act specifies that only parties with parliamentary representation can receive financial assistance. Therefore, if a party loses its parliamentary seats, it will no longer receive financial support from the fund.
The question remains as to which individuals will join Chamisa in his new party. Many are curious about the choices that specifically Tendai Biti, Chalton Hwende, and Welshman Ncube will make. These senior officials in the CCC had disagreements with Chamisa before the August 2023 elections. After the elections, tensions heightened, with Chamisa’s camp accusing Biti and others of working with the disputed CCC interim secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, to destabilise the party. Biti and Ncube have denied these allegations and have stated their commitment to the opposition cause and not giving an advantage to ZANU PF. The recalls by Tshabangu have resulted in ZANU PF gaining more MPs and councillors after the by-elections.