Sengezo Tshabangu, a controversial self-proclaimed CCC interim Secretary General, has issued a bold challenge to the Nelson Chamisa-led party, urging them to take him to court if they believe he is an “imposter.”
On October 3rd, Tshabangu sent letters to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, and the Minister of Local Government, Public Works, and National Housing, Winston Chitando, announcing the recall of 15 MPs and 17 councillors from CCC, claiming they were no longer members of the party.
In response, CCC deputy spokesperson Gift Siziba dismissed Tshabangu as an imposter, stating that the party would take action against him and “all his contacts.”
However, in an interview with NewZimbabwe.com, Tshabangu defended his actions, asserting that those “recalled” had been imposed by certain individuals within the opposition party and were therefore “illegitimate.” He said:
“This is an internal issue in CCC. Those recalled have done something, and I cannot divulge anything at the moment. We are citizens, and we just want to correct something that was not done properly. A product of an illegitimate process becomes illegitimate as well. Negotiations had not failed, but the internal politics in CCC had to be resolved either way. If I do not belong to CCC, as they say, I do not care. I am going back to the initial principles of our party. If they think I am an infiltrator, they should go to court and see whether they are going to win this case. This time, we are going to play hardball.”
Regarding his appointment as interim Secretary General in a party with disputed structures, Tshabangu responded:
“Are you saying CCC has no structures? If so, where is Nelson Chamisa’s ‘presidential’ post coming from?”
Tshabangu also refuted accusations that he was involved in the double candidates saga during the nomination process:
“I never caused any problems. In the structures, the ‘Bereka Mwana’ strategy was not a narrative. We are just correcting that.”
The ongoing dispute within CCC centers around Section 129 of the Zimbabwean Constitution, which outlines the circumstances under which a Member of Parliament may be recalled by their constituents.
