‘Zanu PF creates new puppet party, names it after Chamisa’s CCC’

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Politics |

In a bid to weaken its biggest rival, Nelson Chamisa, Zanu PF has created a puppet political party and named it after a popular MDC Alliance mantra, Citizens Convergence for Change (CCC), observers have noted.

Two days ago, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba was exposed after he posted the new party’s communique while it was still being edited, implying he is the one who created the party.

Posting the document showing some red lines of edits, Charamba said: Ichi mambochionawo here nhai vedare? Ichokwadi here kana kuti manyepo? Tamirira naChinja atiudze kuti vabvumirana here kuita sandikuminyu tisati tatanga kuvakwapaidza.”

The “puppet” party was registered yesterday.

Investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono mocked Charamba saying: “Charamba @jamwanda2 has registered his party. Yesterday he showed us the letter when he was still typing it”.

“It tells us that the regime is terrified of the inevitable, losing to Nelson Chamisa. It shows how they abuse State institutions. It shows how Mugabe died with the brains,” he said.

MDC Alliance and its leader Chamisa are the biggest rivals of both Zanu PF and Mnangagwa following the ruling party’s controversial win in the last plebiscite in 2018 which was only confirmed by the court following allegations of rigging.

The MDC Alliance believes the hijacking of its CCC mantra was a strategy by Zanu PF to frustrate the main opposition.

“No attempt to hijack the people’s big idea whose time has come will succeed. Young people are registering to vote en masse to take us to our 6 million voter target. We have witnessed an unprecedented attempt to decapitate the main opposition by Zanu PF and its proxies,” the party’s national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said.

“We expect more – the use of puppet political parties, the violation of democratic freedoms and the abuse of the legal system. Yet, we remain unshaken. They thought they had destroyed us but they’ve only succeeded in making us stronger as we embed ourselves with the cause of the people and the aspiration of a better Zimbabwe that serves the people. At the appropriate time, we will unveil the new. And there will be no confusion for the people know who their leaders are,” Mahere said.

This is not the first time Zanu PF is accused of forming puppet political parties. It is alleged that the ruling party is working with the smaller MDC-T and its leaders Douglas Mwonzora and Thokozani Khupe to destroy the main opposition MDC Alliance.

Recently, Mwonzora’s party was assisted by the army to grab MDC Alliance properties in Harare. The MDC-T has already recalled more that half of MDC Alliance MPs, senators and councilors accusing them of supporting Chamisa regardless of them contesting under the MDC Alliance ticket during the last election. Nehanda Radio