Tshabangu Promises To Remove All CCC Members Who Were “Imposed” On The Voters

Sengezo Tshabangu, the self-declared interim secretary-general of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has praised President Emmerson Mnangagwa for declaring December 9 as the date of the by-election for nine open seats.

The positions became available on October 3, 2023, when Tshabangu announced in a letter to Speaker Jacob Mudenda of the National Assembly that he had recalled 14 lawmakers, including MPs with proportional representation who were primarily from the provinces of Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, and South.

Tshabangu stated to News24 that they have already selected replacements for the recalled individuals. Says he:

Those who first merited the berths to represent CCC ahead of those we recalled are the candidates we already have lined up to fill those positions. They were forced upon the electorate, which is why we recalled them.

The recalled candidates will need to come up with a new name for their party or run as independents if they want to run for reelection because Tshabangu is officially recognised by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commision (ZEC) as the head of the CCC.

Tshabangu further declared that more CCC MPs would be called back, paving the way for more by-elections. Says he:

People all across the country are calling for clarity, claiming that the imposition of candidates was not limited to Bulawayo and Matabeleland. As a result, we will carry out pertinent recalls over time.

For the by-election scheduled for December 9, the nomination court will convene on November 7.