Self styled Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu has disclosed that prominent lawyer Lewis Uriri provided him with pro bono legal services when the party took legal action against his authority to recall its Members of Parliament and Councillors.
Uriri, who previously served as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyer in the Constitutional Court, offering representation against a petition filed by Nelson Chamisa, the then MDC Alliance leader, during the 2018 election, reportedly understood Tshabangu’s financial constraints.
Tshabangu, claiming to be CCC’s interim secretary-general, revealed during the Asakhe Online program, The Breakfast Club, that Uriri initiated legal proceedings without charging a fee.
Once Uriri initiated the legal process, Tshabangu stated that members of the business community stepped in to financially support the legal costs. According to CITE, Tshabangu mentioned:
“It is difficult for us to meet our litigation costs. Our legal team is headed by Advocate Uriri, one of the best lawyers to ever come out of Zimbabwe. He is very expensive.
“We sat down with him, and he said he understood where I was coming from. He said he would get the ball rolling so that the people, in general, would know what was going on and understand my cause. He did the first appearance free of charge.
“After that, we started having people coming in to help us meet our legal costs. Some are from the business communities, people with huge amounts of money.
“They understood our cause and they gave us money to channel to our legal needs. We are accounting for each cent of that money.”
Initially a member of the MDC, Tshabangu joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014 when it split from the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Later, he rejoined the mainstream MDC Alliance before it transformed into the CCC.
In October 2023, Tshabangu recalled 15 parliamentarians and 17 councillors, citing their alleged departure from the party. Subsequently, he recalled more CCC MPs and Councillors nationwide, asserting that they were no longer party members.
Source Bulawayo24
