The story going around is that the Citizens Coalition for Change Leadership wants to go into the 2023 general elections without going to congress. It is a surprise move coming to people who claim to be champions of democracy. The people of Zimbabwe are surprised and confused that in 2022 a democratic party can not hold a free and fair selection of its leadership. Nelson Chamisa has handpicked a clique of his friends and cronies and catapulted them into the CCC leadership and executive without the approval of the general membership of the party.
The CCC membership has got an imposed executive and leadership but has it got the right candidates to contest an election? Where are the so-called structures which will coordinate the party's activities? Are Zimbabweans stupid enough to vote for imposed candidates? Democracy must prevail over dictatorship and cronyism.
Nelson Chamisa has been talking about rebranding after losing the name of the party, the party headquarters and his leadership of the MDC. I believe it is time that he recognises that he must change his tactics of bulldozing and imposing himself on people. It is time he recognises that without following due processes he will definitely lose support and will lose the elections come 2023.
Is CCC a party or just a group of Nelson Chamisa's friends and bootlickers? I would like to quote Methuseli Moyo of ZAPU who said "Without a congress, CCC remains a collection of friends deploying each other into positions. As such, they be handicapped to challenge ZANUpf on any issue to do with democracy and procedure". It is a fact that Nelson Chamisa lost the 2018 elections and what if his membership wants to change candidates? This was reflected in the March by-election when the CCC imposed a candidate, Regai Tsunga in Mutasa South, and it lost the seat to ZANUpf.
What we see here, the so-called paragons of democracy are denying their membership their democratic right to choose candidates of their choice by dodging Congress. It is not the first time that Nelson Chamisa has dodged congress. He smuggled himself into Harvest House after the death of Morgan Tsvangirayi without following due processes and the party's constitution. He went on further to hold a sham congress at midnight in Gweru. It is a habit only found in dictators.
