A leadership dispute in Zimbabwe’s opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party has escalated after the purported recall of several elected officials.
Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the CCC’s interim secretary general, has written to authorities dismissing 15 MPs and recalling 17 local councillors. He alleges these representatives were improperly imposed.
However, CCC spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi insists Mr. Tshabangu is not a member of the party. In an interview with NewZimbabwe, Tshabangu stood by his actions and challenged the CCC to take him to court if they disagreed with his position.
“If they think I am an infiltrator, they should go to court and see whether they are going to win this case,” Tshabangu stated. He denied any involvement in factionalism during the CCC’s primaries earlier this year.
When questioned about his unelected role, Tshabangu argued the CCC has structures even without official posts. But Mkwananzi slammed the recalls as a desperate ploy by an “impostor” to destabilize the opposition in the wake of ZANU-PF’s election defeat.
With each side accusing the other of illegitimacy or infiltration, the spat raises questions about unity within the CCC as it seeks to strengthen as Zimbabwe’s leading resistance party.
