Top Zimbabwean opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has announced his decision to quit the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), following some in-fighting that took centre stage.
According to Chamisa in a 13-page statement, the CCC, a party he created over a year ago after losing control of the once powerful MDC, has been “contaminated, bastardised, hijacked by ZANU PF”.
He said his resignation from the party commences with immediate effect.
The statement partly read:
“Fellow citizens, this is to officially, and under my hand, inform you, that, with immediate effect, I no longer have anything to do with CCC.
“My focus remains fully on Zimbabwe, asserting your victory, honouring the citizens’ mandate and God’s calling to provide leadership.
“There are fresh things we need to do. Let’s all work together for total freedom, true change and holistic transformation for our beloved country.
“Giving up or giving in is not an option. Nothing comes without tenacity and resilience. Fellow citizens, you will be kept posted on the next steps.”
The opposition leader is expected to announce a new party in the coming weeks.
Nelson Chamisa’s decision to exit the opposition party comes after months of trying to resolve conflicts within the party after a self-appointed Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu, began making pronouncements on behalf of the party.
Tshabangu withdrew duly elected members from Parliament and Councils at will. The CCC lost 18 parliamentary seats after he announced in Parliament that they had left the party.
Chamisa’s efforts to revert the decision proved abortive as the Parliament, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), the Local Government Ministry and courts, held the Tshabangu’s words above his.
The 45-year-old opposition leader has blamed the ZANU PF-led government for infiltrating the party to cause divisions by destroying the resolve.
“This person who is unknown to us, now single-handedly wields so much power. He has basically been turned into an organisation, courtesy of the Zanu PF,” Nelson Chamisa wrote.
“The original CCC idea has however been contaminated, bastardized, hijacked by ZANU PF through the abuse of State institutions. CCC has not been aligned to its founding Purpose and Mandate.
“Further, CCC has now been rendered an extension of and been taken over by ZANU PF. CCC has, to all intents and purposes, been criminally handed over to ZANU PF,” the statement read.
The CCC was left bruised after the August general elections in 2023 where Chamisa lost the Seat of State position to the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, ZANU–PF’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Chamisa vowed that his party would challenge the outcome of the polls, which he said was marred by many irregularities.