Police storm Jameson Timba’s house, arrest 70 CCC members loyal to Chamisa

HARARE – A raid by Zimbabwean police on a house in Harare owned by former opposition legislator Jameson Timba resulted in the arrest of at least 70 members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) on Sunday.

The police, acting on a tip-off, stormed the residence, leading to a violent confrontation with the suspects, who allegedly hurled stones at the officers in an attempt to resist arrest. The situation prompted the police to call for reinforcements.

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests, stating that the suspects were taken into custody for participating in an unsanctioned gathering. He added that further details would be released today.

“I can confirm that 70 suspects were arrested at Jameson Timba’s house in Harare for conducting an unsanctioned gathering.

“Police, who were acting on a tip-off, raided the house, leading to the arrests. During the arrests, they became violent and started throwing stones at the police officers.

“Reinforcements were later called in. We will, however, release more details tomorrow (today),” he said.

The opposition members are affiliated with a faction of the CCC led by Timba, which is aligned with former party leader Nelson Chamisa.

The CCC has recently experienced a rift, resulting in a split into two factions, with the other faction loyal to self-proclaimed interim secretary-general Senator Sengezo Tshabangu.

Soon after the 2023 harmonised elections, Tshabangu declared himself interim secretary-general and dismissed numerous legislators sympathetic to Chamisa, capitalising on the party’s structural weaknesses.

Tshabangu was assisted by the state and judiciary to execute his plan, which resulted in Zanu-PF getting two thirds majority in Parliament.

He has since been compensated with the position of leader of opposition in Parliament. He will also get more than US$1 million under the Political Parties Finance Act.

Chamisa has since dumped the CCC citing infiltration by Zanu-PF and is expected to launch a new political movement in the coming months.