CCC Denies Plans To Remove Coltart As Bulawayo Mayor

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Nqobizitha Mlilo has dismissed media reports claiming that the party’s self-declared interim secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, who is in effect the de facto leader, has decided to remove David Coltart as Mayor of Bulawayo.

According to one report, senior CCC officials were angered by Coltart’s absence from a meeting led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s adviser, Paul Tungwarara.

Tungwarara presided over a presidential borehole scheme event in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park, which several CCC councillors attended.

Speaking at the event, CCC organising secretary Francis Badzarigere openly criticised Coltart in comments that revealed growing divisions within the party.

He warned that if Coltart acts like an independent councillor rather than a CCC member, the party will not hesitate to take action.

However, in a statement issued on Monday 29 June, Mlilo said the party has no immediate plans to remove Coltart as Mayor of Bulawayo.

“The CCC has no known immediate plans to remove Councillor David Coltart as the Mayor of Bulawayo. Senator Sengezo Tshabangu has neither initiated nor harboured any such intentions,” said Mlilo.

“Our party does not operate on scaremongering or political theatre; rather, we are deeply committed to nation-building and national consensus.

“The unification of all opposition voices and actors in the national interest is our immediate priority, and work in this regard has already commenced.

“While party discipline remains paramount, recalls are not tools of first resort, and the name of Senator Tshabangu must not be weaponised for factional or nefarious ends.”

Mlilo stressed that neither the CCC nor Tshabangu has the legal authority to remove a Mayor without clear approval from the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.

“Furthermore, and in any event, in terms of Section 80 of the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15], neither a political party nor Senator Sengezo Tshabangu possess legal authority to remove a Mayor without the explicit approval of the Minister of Local Government,” he said.

“It is, therefore, a legal impossibility for Senator Tshabangu or CCC to unilaterally remove a sitting Mayor.

“Following the inevitable passing of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, all public officials are to remain strictly development-focused.

“The Mayor of Bulawayo, like any public official, will ultimately be judged by his governance record.

“His tenure will be dictated by performance, accountability, and his ability to deliver tangible development to the residents of Bulawayo.”