Tshabangu not done with recalled legislators yet
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) interim secretary general, Mr Sengezo Tshabangu, has threatened to engage the courts seeking to disqualify recalled legislators and councillors from participating in the December 9 by-elections.
Mr Tshabangu instigated the recall of the 15 legislators and 17 councillors who were duly elected during the August 23 harmonised elections saying these had ceased to be party members.
The recalls prompted President Mnangagwa to declare the by-election date.
On Tuesday the recalled candidates successfully filed their nominations with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which Mr Tshabangu says was a misnomer for them to use the party’s name and symbol.
Political analysts have said the troubled CCC party has split after it fielded double candidates in virtually all contested seats mainly in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South, Harare and Masvingo provinces.
Nine of the recalled National Assembly representatives were constituency holders while six came in under the proportional representation criteria.
“We are making an urgent chamber application in the High Court to have those nominations nullified,” vowed Mr Tshabangu in an interview yesterday.
“The court made a determination over the weekend, in essence confirming that the recalls were in order hence we don’t see how they had their papers accepted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.”
In Matabeleland North’s Lupane East constituency, Mr Bright Moyo Vanya, filed his papers alongside Mr David Nyathi who was backed by Mr Tshabangu while in Binga North, Mr Prince Dubeko Sibanda, who was recalled successfully filed his papers together with Ms Judith Sibanda.
In Bulawayo, Mr Vusumuzi Sibanda (Cowdray Park), Mr Ambrose Sibindi (Nketa), Mr James Sithole (Bulawayo South), Ms Tendai Nyathi ( Lobengula-Magwegwe) and Mr Charles Moyo (Mpopoma-Mzilikazi) all backed by Mr Tshabangu, filed their papers as well as the recalled MPs, Mr Pashor Sibanda (Cowdray Park), Ms Nicola Watson (Bulawayo South), Mr Ereck Gono (Lobengula-Magwegwe), Mr Obert Manguna (Nketa) and Desmond Makaza (Mpopoma-Mzilikazi).
It was the same double candidate registration scenario in Matabeleland South.
“Our position is clear, ZEC should never have accepted nomination papers of recalled persons,” said Mr Tshabangu.
“We would not have had any issues had these former members filed as independents, it’s their right anyway but they have no right to use our party name and symbol.”
The CCC interim secretary general has said the recalls were provoked by the protest over how the opposition outfit was run, including concerns that some of the recalled candidates were imposed on the electorate. Recently, Mr Tshabangu hinted that the party has started the process of calling for an elective congress as part of efforts to reshape its operations and prepare for the 2028 harmonised elections.
He said going forward, they were committed to finalise the correction of processes and conduct that undermined the party’s internal democracy and collective decision-making ‘through ego-tripping, self-aggrandisement, fear-mongering and corruption’. “This is because we are aware that most of the party’s faithful deployees who enabled the corrupt practices did so out of fear and desperation and had nowhere and nothing to fall back on,” said Mr Tshabangu.
“We will resume the holding of the party’s mandatory constitutional meetings at all levels of the party to enable members to regain their decision-making power.
“As a social democratic and people-driven party, the participation of citizens in the decision-making process is paramount and thus non-negotiable. We are thus committed and resolved to commence preparation for congress in terms of the interim constitution of the party, beginning with the election of the branch committees,” he said.
Comments