The country’s main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has said he broke away from the CCC which he said was now a poisoned chalice to chart a new path for Zimbabweans, the vehicle of which might not necessarily be a political party.
Chamisa late this week sent the country’s political landscape into a tremor after he dumped the CCC which he founded over two years ago, accusing the governing Zanu-PF party of high jacking the opposition outfit through self-imposed interim Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu.
Speaking to a South African Broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, Chamisa said he is instead going to form an all-encompassing citizens movement.
“Once beaten twice shy we are a lot wiser. I have seen that a leopard cannot change and is not changing its spots I have seen that the crocodile has not changed and has not shed its scales so for that reason we are going to have a different approach so forming parties may not necessarily be the approach but, I can tell you that the citizens movement is going to be emboldened, it’s going to be strengthened and deepened organically to make sure that the citizens of Zimbabwe have a fighting chance. So yes not an organization per ser or an institution what we need is a broad omnibus almost like a movement, a citizen’s movement that is all encompassing but that focuses on making sure that we fix the broken politics and we fix the stolen elections and we fix the issue of governance have a new government in Zimbabwe, have a legitimate government in Zimbabwe return Zimbabwe to majority rule, majority happiness and majority prosperity and legitimate government,” he said.
Chamisa accused his political nemesis President Emmerson and his ruling Zanu PF party of decimating the opposition movement through, “The high jacking of the MDC Alliance, the high jacking of the CCC.”
On the risk of losing political credibility by constantly changing parties he youthful opposition leader said he have the support of Zimbabweans.
“The people of Zimbabwe are very clear that’s why they continue to support us. The base is not moved the base is actually energized and emboldened, the people of are clear that ours is a noble and a legitimate fight against dictatorship, and oppression and ours is a fight that is going to be won. The direction we are taking is the direction that is going to give Zimbabweans a fresh smile, they support it. There is no credibility crisis if anything they know that the more, I am being fought by forces of darkness the more I am being confirmed as a force of light, the more they fight me the more they value me. It’s very clear that I am not going to be shaken. I know that I carry the will of the people of Zimbabwe. I have their trust and confidence that’s why they support us that’s why the dictatorship is fighting using all manner of tactics, weapons, everything, machinery all against an individual that tells you a story,” said Chamisa.
Explaining on his shock decision to dump CCC, Chamisa acknowledges the move was drastic, but necessary.
“Indeed, it’s a very drastic measure (moving away from CCC), against our own will and against our own intention but because we have seen that Mr. Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF are now abusing the institutions of the state in particular parliament, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and in some circumstances even our own courts because they are even now contaminating our courts with their politics that has necessitated what we are doing. We don’t want to be forced into a dance, a dance into the tune of a dictatorship, dancing into the tune of Mr. Mnangagwa, recalling our members of parliament, after recalling those members of parliament stopping them and barring them from participating, because he knows in the arena of elections, he has no support just as he was rejected on the 23rd of August 2023 elections. They want to continue to ward off that rejection by avoiding the votes and the voters because of that we have to make sure that we make a bold stand, a bold move. As you know leaders must take a stand and we have taken a stand to say how do we break that new ground, how do we make sure that although the past is broken how do we make sure that we bring in a future that is beautifully woven and in doing so we are going to have new tactics, new approaches because we have realized the leopard cannot change and is not changing its spots,” he said.
Chamisa explained that by dumping CCC he is not walking away from Zimbabweans.
“When you realize that your cattle pen has been invaded by cattle rustlers you just need to walk away with your cattle to secure them. I am not walking away from the citizens of Zimbabwe; I am walking away from a poisoned chalice. There are many other wells, there are many other sources of water, there are many other vehicles and platforms that could be used. So, we are taking a new way a fresh approach, a new start in fact the future has just begun,” he said.
