CCC ‘imposter’ Tshabangu announces party signatories for by-elections

Sengezo Tshabangu, who controversially declared himself opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) interim secretary general before he recalled 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) has written to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) stating that only he and two others, Mbuso Siso and Jabulani Ncube, are the authorised signatories for the party candidates who will take part in by-elections to be held on December 9 this year.

Zimbabwe held harmonised elections on the 23rd and 24th of August. Few weeks after the polls, Tshabangu emerged claiming he was the CCC interim secretary general.

He recalled 14 MPs claiming that they were a product of a dubious nomination process.

Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the party distanced himself from Tshabangu labeling him an imposter.

Chamisa said his party had no structures and a position called secretary general.

The recalled lawmakers have since dragged Tshabangu and the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda to court seeking an order reversing the recall decision.

But President Emmerson Mnangagwa went on to proclaim Statutory Instrument 188 of 2023 setting 9 December 2023 as the date for by-elections.

Accordingly, Tshabangu has declared himself and two others as the official signatories of all participating CCC candidates.

“Pursuant to Statutory Instrument 188 of 2023 proclaiming by-elections to be held on 9 December 2023, and fixing 7 November 2023 as the date on which the Nomination Court shall sit, i write in terms of section 46(1)(c) and (2) of the Electoral Act (chapter 2:13), to submit the designated officials of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) who are authorised to countersign the nomination papers of our party’s approved candidates, and these are: Sengezo Tshabangu, Mbuso Siso, Jabulani Neube.

“Accordingly, please find attached herewith the completed mandate form. In this regard, may I also emphasize that no other person or individual is authorised to countersign the nomination papers of any of our party’s approved candidates for the said by-elections.”

Commenting on the issue, activist and blogger Mlungisi Dube castigated Tshabangu for centralising power in Bulawayo by appointing “three people with Ndebele sounding names”.

“In my own opinion this is now clumsy. You don’t achieve justice through changing ‘victims’. If Sengezo Tshabangu has a genuine case of opposing Harare leadership’s centralisation of power then he can’t correct that by usurping power and centralising it in Bulawayo.

“He can’t also exclude the party’s president from being a signatory. For all intents, Chamisa is the founder/owner of CCC.

“In line with Zim demographics, you can’t have three people with Ndebele sounding names being the sole signatories.

“If having no Ndebele as a signatory is wrong, then clearly having no Shona as a signatory is wrong. He has missed an opportunity there. He is quickly turning into a rebel without cause,” he said.