Brian Mutebuka, a Zimbabwean lawyer living in the United Kingdom, recently had a conversation with Nelson Chamisa, the former ICT Minister about his plans after leaving the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party.
Nelson Chamisa officially severed ties with the main opposition party on 24 January 2024 citing alleged infiltration by the ruling ZANU PF party. Chamisa believes that the party has been hijacked to serve the interests of the illegitimate regime. He says despite his efforts to engage regional organizations and leaders for support, he feels that there has been no progress. Chamisa’s decision has left his colleagues in CCC facing a dilemma, as they must now choose between aligning with the regime or supporting Chamisa.
What Does The Future Hold?
Mutebuaka says Chamisa aims to rid himself of opportunistic individuals and create a united front of genuine supporters. He said Chamisa acknowledges the challenges this decision presents but feels compelled to take this route. Mutebuka said of Chamisa:
i. He stated that he will be launching a broad Citizens Movement in the near future whose form will be determined by the outcome of the consultations that will emerge with various stakeholders.
ii. He was adamant that Zimbabweans will always know who their genuine leaders are and will be able to see through the current regime’s machinations.
iii. He was both optimistic and defiant pertaining to the future. He made it clear that he does not fear the incumbent and expressed credulity at how brazen he has been in disenfranchising Zimbabweans and capturing state institutions while presiding over an economic, social and humanitarian catastrophe.
iv. Finally, he was clear that he was looking forward to working with those who are young at heart and with a modern perspective as opposed to political dinosaurs who have graced the local political scene for many years but no longer have anything of value to.
v. For the record, Chamisa was clear that Hwende, Biti, Mafume, Ncube, and others had engaged in duplicitous behaviour and he had lacked the necessary trust and confidence to work with them for quite some time.
vi. He is now determined to build a fresh, strong, broad, democratic, and formidable Citizens Movement straddling across party, religious, and other considerations free from the encumbrances of the past and geared towards finally delivering the promise of the democratic movement!
-Pindula
