‘Attend Parliament, council business or face recall’ – Tshabangu tells CCC members

Sengezo Tshabangu, a controversial politician calling himself the Interim Secretary General of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has threatened to recall more party MPs, Senators and councillors if they fail to report for duty.

This comes after CCC leader Nelson Chamisa ordered his members to disengage from Parliament and councils until the 15 recalled MPs are reinstated.

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda this week announced vacancies for 15 Parliamentary seats at the behest of Tshabangu, a former MDC-T and PDP member widely described by the CCC as a political impostor.

Chamisa gave Mudenda a 14 day ultimatum to reverse his decision. Failure to do so, the main opposition leader said the party is contemplating total withdrawal from government business.

CCC MPs are already on a six sittings ban following their protest in Parliament over recall of their colleagues.

Tshabangu in his latest communique said after their ban lapses, they should all go back to work or face recall.

“And now that our political party is cleansing itself of all mala fides and chicanery that are foreign and injurious to our people and their aspirations, we hereby advise and direct all our deployees as follows:

All CCC councillors must report for work on time and be prepared to serve and to be of service to all our people without fail, save in circumstances seeking or requiring verifiable medical attention or compassionate leave,” he said.

“According to the Parliament Hansard, CCC Members of the National Assembly were as a matter of fact and law suspended for six (6) sittings with immediate effect, which equates to two weeks of sittings.

“Once this suspension has been served, all CCC Members of the National Assembly as well as Members of the Senate must attend all parliamentary programmes, activities and sittings without fail, save in circumstances seeking or requiring verifiable medical attention or compassionate leave. Members of the Senate should continue to attend all Parliamentary programmes, activities and sittings without fail.

“Any CCC Member of the National Assembly or CCC Senator who does not comply with the foregoing will be recalled without further ado and redeployed from Parliament or their local authority.”

Tshabangu also dismissed a letter that circulated claiming that he had fired Chamisa from the party.

“Last but not least, the office of the Interim Secretary General has noted with contempt a statement doing rounds on social media and mainstream media purporting to be expelling the President, Adv. Nelson Chamisa, from the party and to be coming from the hand of the Interim Secretary General.

“The fraudulent statement is devoid of truth and reality, and must therefore be ignored and rejected with the contempt it deserves,” read the statement.

Former cabinet Minister Walter Mzembi said the political crisis facing Zimbabwe needs the intervention of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) who would solve it within the context of the disputed 2023 harmonised general elections.

“Unless there is restitution from external facilitation through the anticipated SADC hearing on Zimbabwe within the context of resolving the disputed elections of August 23, the stage is set for a total collapse of CCC participation in legislative and local governance.

“This struggle is rapidly defining itself out of Parliament leaving a One Party State to decree the Zimbabwe it wants , effectively unwinding us to the 80s and Zanu PF ‘ s goal of a One Party State.

“I posted earlier that we should brace for more drama and pain but the silver lining is that this would be the delivery pain of a new thing.

“If we deny ourselves the organic pain we also deny ourselves the child unless delivered by Caesarian. There will be no Salvation without sacrifice and an emigration from comfort zones by all,” he said.