Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono says the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) made things easier for their opponents in the case of 14 Members of Parliament and nine senators who wanted to reverse their expulsion from parliament. This comes after the High Court dismissed the application made by the MPs and Senators who were recalled by Sengezo Tshabangu, claiming to be the CCC party’s Secretary General. Chin’ono believed that although it was expected to be challenging, the CCC should have avoided giving their opponents an opportunity to take advantage. He said on X:
It was known and it was always said so many times that running a political party without a constitution or a structured leadership was going to expose the genuine CCC to what has tragically happened today, it was repeatedly said. ZANUPF was always going to facilitate for any disgruntled CCC member to do what happened today, ZANUPF controls parliament. When this was raised many times before and after the elections, those who raised this point were insulted and told to either form their own parties where they could have party constitutions, or they were told that there is a plan. It is therefore pointless to belabour the political and legal points that were already mentioned in the past warning Nelson Chamisa and CCC of the dangerous that lay ahead because of their chosen path which they called Strategic Ambiguity.
Chin’ono criticised Nelson Chamisa for not supporting his recalled MPs in court, questioning the actions of both Chamisa and his party, CCC. He suggested that in Zimbabwe, both the opposition and ruling parties prefer biased analysis that aligns with their own views. This leads to misleading information being spread. Chin’ono emphasised the need for political parties to protect themselves from state institution abuse by not giving plausible reasons for exploitation. He proposed that the MPs should run as independent candidates in by-elections, with Chamisa’s support. The focus should be on defending democracy and rebuilding the party with proper leadership structures. He said it is crucial for the opposition to contest all elections and not leave room for exploitation by the ruling party.
In response to Chin’ono’s opinion, Gift Ostallos Siziba points out that it is intellectually dishonest to solely blame Chamisa for the attack on democracy and the closing of the democratic space. He said:
This is a missed opportunity to address the broader national question and examine the dynamics at play. The second issue is the failure to grasp the nature of authoritarian regimes, both in general and specifically within Zimbabwe. It is important to understand that the intention is not only to weaken the authentic opposition, but also to replace it with a preferred alternative. If this is indeed the core agenda of the state, then no matter the vehicles, documents, or structures involved, whether public or private, it will not halt the assault on democracy.
During a discussion on X on Saturday night, Professor Jonathan Moyo, a former Information Minister in self-exile, said Chamisa made a significant mistake by not supporting his MPs and Senators in court. He highlighted Justice Munamato Mutevedzi’s observation that if the CCC MPs and Senators (applicants) believed that Sengezo Tshabangu had no authority to recall them, the party should have been involved in the case to support their argument. Moyo emphasised the importance of the party’s involvement in corroborating their claim.
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