Main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Secretary General Chalton Hwende has announced that he will be ending his countryside tours meant to mobilise supporters ahead of 2023 harmonised elections because he “noticed the negative comments from our CCC citizens”.
Writing on his Twitter handle, Hwende who is a legislator for Kuwadzana East said the toxic comments had a negative impact on his mental health and family.
He posted a video of himself addressing a small gathering of CCC supporters in Mhondoro and captioned it:
“Yesterday (Saturday) I addressed a ward meeting of CCC volunteers in Mhondoro. We prefer smaller meetings to counter victimization. This is probably my last meeting. I have noticed the negative comments from our CCC citizens on Twitter whenever I go on Mgwazo in Mhondoro.”
He further stated: “I have also considered the stress and anguish which most of the comments cause to my teenage kids. The reason I agreed to help in Mhondoro was to assist in growing the rural vote. I did 38 weekend meetings this year, funding myself and abandoning my work at my logistics company.”
Hwende announced that he would be taking the December holiday to take a sabbatical from politics.
“As a leader in the movement I have a responsibility to take into account the negative comments on Twitter and also self introspect. I will use the December Holiday to do exactly that. I love my Citizens movement, the CCC and will continue contributing in other areas,” he said.
Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono however had some encouragement for Hwende.
“Dear @hwendec. You should NEVER worry about what people say if you know that you are doing your work. Remember what @Wamagaisa said, “Not everyone who says is CCC is actually CCC.”
“Lately there are many regime ghost accounts with CCC pictures which are meant to demoralize. 💪🏿💪🏿,” Chin’ono tweeted.
The opposition is under pressure to come up with party structures amid a puzzling reluctance to do so by its leadership.
On Saturday the ruling Zanu PF party won four of the five contested council seats in Gweru, Mberengwa and Binga which used to be a stronghold of the opposition.
There is also pressure on opposition MPs who are being accused of conniving with Zanu-PF legislators to loot more than US$14 million of taxpayers money. They accepted a government offer of US$40 000 each on controversial loans, few months before election.
The loan facility is viewed by critics as a plan by Zanu-PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa to buy the support of legislators ahead of the plebiscite.
Zimbabwe is set to hold its harmonised election in 2023. Mnangagwa is likely to face CCC leader Nelson Chamisa for the second time in the ballot.
