Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) self-proclaimed secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, has made a claim that elected party legislators have contacted him to halt recalls, and he plans to reshuffle the parliamentary setup.
Tshabangu, who has been labeled a non-member by party leader Nelson Chamisa, has already recalled 24 publicly elected CCC officials from Parliament, Senate, and Council.
In a recent video circulating on social media, Tshabangu stated that CCC MPs were incessantly reaching out to him, desperately trying to protect their positions in Parliament.
“They (CCC MPs) are actually calling me every day, every hour, every minute that SG please don’t recall us we will take whatever you say and we are prepared to work with you,” said Tshabangu.
Acknowledging the MPs’ concerns, Tshabangu assured them that as long as they were elected by the people and not through illicit means, they would be safe. However, he warned that if they had obtained their positions through corrupt practices, his office would take action against them.
Last month, Chamisa ordered MPs and councillors to disengage from official duties for a period of 14 days, threatening a complete withdrawal from parliament and councils if the recalled members were not reinstated.
In response, Tshabangu challenged Chamisa’s stance, stating that CCC would not disengage to avoid creating an unnecessary constitutional crisis.
“We can’t disengage, we can’t create constitutional crisis unnecessarily. So if there are any problems we will discuss with members of parliament we will whip them into line we will consult them, we are going to reshuffle.
“In fact, we are going to reshuffle the set up in parliament, who is going to be the chief whip, we are going to have a fresh coccus, who is going to be the leader of the house, who is going to be the leader of that committee.
“We are going to have a reshuffle because those people had positioned themselves there without consultation, broader consultation of the movement so things are going to change,” Tshabangu said.
However, MP for Pelandaba-Tshabalala and CCC deputy spokesperson, Ostallos Siziba, dismissed Tshabangu’s comments, asserting that fellow legislators were not deployed by the self-proclaimed secretary general.
“We can’t pretend to be confused for convenience. We were never deployed to parliament by Tshabangu. That is a fact known by him and those who associate with him.
“Principles matter especially in this protracted struggle for democracy. Parliament to me is a zone of struggle and not a career. As long as the Citizens have not recalled me l worry not because it’s them who voted for me under a CCC that was and is led by President Nelson Chamisa,” Siziba asserted.
Former MP for Cowdray Park, Pashor Sibanda, who has been recalled, declared that CCC would not surrender the victory achieved by the people to political opportunists.
