An official from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has criticised CCC spokesman Promise Mkhwananzi for claiming to be the acting president. Mbuso Siso, a member of the CCC’s self-appointed interim steering committee, stated that Mkhwananzi is not a genuine opposition member and should remain with his previous group, Tajamuka/Sesijikile. Siso told the NewsHwaks:

Promise Mkhwananzi is not a bona fide opposition member. We don’t know him in the MDC and all other subsequent parties. We only know him as leader of the pressure group Tajamuka/Sesijikile. That’s where he belongs and not at the CCC. He was imposed by Chamisa, so we don’t want him.

On top of that, he is being looked for by the police. He is a criminal. If police allow me to effect a Citizen’s arrest I will get him for them. He can’t be CCC leader that criminal; he must go back to Tajamuka.

Tshabangu-led Steering Committee in Charge

Siso emphasised that the interim steering committee, not Mkhwananzi, should be in charge until the party’s Congress, and the disputed interim secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, should be accountable to it.

Siso further argued that the MDC Alliance National Standing Committee, which met on 28 January 2024 and discussed CCC affairs, is illegitimate due to a Supreme Court ruling in 2020 that declared Nelson Chamisa as not the legitimate leader of the MDC-T. Siso asserted that the structures that emerged from the MDC Alliance Congress of 2019 were nullified by the Supreme Court decision and cannot be imposed on CCC. He cautioned against dragging the party back into past conflicts and inviting Douglas Mwonzora, the leader of the MDC-T, back into the fold.

Siso criticised opportunistic opposition figures who are now vying for leadership positions after being hesitant to challenge Chamisa before his resignation. He said:

Now that Nelson Chamisa has quit CCC, we now see some power-hungry leaders coming out of the woods to cause unnecessary confusion in the party. Why would anyone say the MDC Alliance structure of 2019 is now in charge of CCC as if they don’t know that the party was forced on 24 January 2024. The CCC is not one and the same thing as MDC, they are related yet also different. That 2019 MDC structure was effectively nullified by the Supreme Court decision and it no longer exists. So how can a structure which no longer exists be in charge of CCC?

Siso emphasized that CCC remains under the control of the self-imposed interim steering committee, which will organise a congress to elect new party leadership soon.

The committee includes Dingilizwe Tshuma, former legislator for Entumbane-Njube constituency in Bulawayo as chair; Albert Mhlanga (former Pumula MP and deputy); Sengezo Tshabangu (secretary-general); Khaliphani Phugeni (information); Sikhululekile Moyo (interim chairperson for women); Nomvula Mguni (ex-proportional representation MP), Mbuso Siso (treasurer) and Benoni Ncube (youth). This structure implemented the recalls, leading to Chamisa quitting, saying the party has now been “hijacked, bastardised and contaminated” by impostors and fraudsters.

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