He will rotate with Mr Tendai Biti who will do another 90
days with Lynette Karenyi-Kore following after, in a rotational format until
congress to elect a substantial leadership following the resignation of Mr
Chamisa from the party. Insiders accused the
new leadership of grabbing power from the Mr Tshabangu team that had
pushed Mr Chamisa out of the picture.
Mr Tshabangu was
part of the interim leadership of the party, announced recently, but was not
included in the new set up announced yesterday. The leadership committee of the
party that was initially announced by the Mr Tshabangu team has Dingilizwe
Tshuma, former legislator for Entumbane-Njube constituency in Bulawayo as
chair, Mhlanga (former Pumula MP, Bulawayo deputy mayor and committee’s deputy), Tshabangu (secretary-general),
Khaliphani Phugeni (information), Sikhululekile Moyo (interim chairperson for
women), Nomvula Mguni (ex-proportional representation MP), Mbuso Siso
(treasurer) and Benoni Ncube (youth).
Bitter infighting has erupted following the submission of
the list of Senators and Proportional Representation candidates to replace
those that were recalled by the party’s interim secretary-general, Mr Sengezo
Tshabangu.
A couple of weeks ago the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC) gazetted the CCC list which saw Mr Tshabangu as one of the candidates
nominated to fill vacancies in the Senate under Matabeleland North Province.
Other candidates nominated to fill vacancies in the Senate include lawyer
Kucaca Phulu, Lilian Mlilo, Linda Sibanda and Collet Ndhlovu all from Bulawayo.
Maxwell Mdhluri comes in for Manicaland while Sam Chapfudza fills in the
Masvingo vacancy.
In Matabeleland North, Mr Tshabangu, Teresa Kabondo and
Grace Mampande complete the Senate list. The list has, however, ignited
controversy within the party, leading to intense name-calling and bitter
accusations among its ranks. Some members have even gone as far as boldly
threatening that they would “send” lightning to their rivals. In a WhatsApp
voice note which emerged last week, former Pumula legislator, Mr Albert Mhlanga
claims to be part of the initial group with Mr Tshabangu that approached former
leader Mr Nelson Chamisa and took him to task on the imposition of candidates
to represent the party in last year’s harmonised elections. It is the same
group that initiated the recalls from Parliament, claiming they were targeting
people they believed had been imposed by Mr Chamisa. In the voice note, Mr
Mhlanga accuses lawyer and former Nkulumane MP, Mr Phulu of imposing himself on
the list of Senators and also hijacking their movement.
“I hope I find you well honourable lawyer Phulu, I remember
you once tried to call me and I ignored your call because I was so angry and I
was going to tell you off. I always tell you of this tendency of yours, where
you go behind my back, you claiming it’s (Tendai) Biti, but I know it’s you, to
ensure I do not get onto the list of Senatorial candidates. I do not know why
you are fighting with me but I am also prepared to take these three years
fighting with you, be prepared for that fight. How we fight, I do not know. You
might be a lawyer and win every legal battle in court but you will never win
the Mhlanga war, with my little money I am prepared to buy lightning from
anyone selling it and that lightning strikes you,” said Mr Mhlanga in the voice
note recorded in isiNdebele.
Contacted for comment, Mr Mhlanga confirmed that indeed it
was him in the voice note, saying he stood by the sentiments.
He accused Mr Phulu of hijacking their project and then
sidelining them so that he could bulldoze his way back to Parliament for
personal gain.
“We are the CCC whose leader is Mr Chamisa, the idea we had
after the controversy surrounding the party’s primary elections was to engage
Mr Chamisa and come up with some form of solution. When that failed we decided
to formalise the party, where together with the likes of Mbuso Siso and Collet
Ndhlovu, to mention but a few, decided to work on issues like the party
constitution. Phulu was approached and he flatly refused to be a double
candidate or even to be our lawyer. We then got our own lawyers to represent
us, when Phulu realised that we were scoring legal victories he requested to
assist the lawyers, that is how he got into the picture,” said Mr Mhlanga.
The former legislator further claimed that after Mr Phulu
got himself into the legal team, he then sidelined them and was now only
dealing with Mr Tshabangu.
“It was honestly shocking. They were now always in court
without even consulting us, they were recalling people willy nilly, which was
not what our intentions were. Mr Phulu made sure he separated us from Mr
Tshabangu, even the Senate and Proportional Representation list, these were all
drafted by Phulu, where he made sure he bulldozes his way to Senate and
ignoring the list which we had all drafted. This is not the first time that Mr
Phulu has done this, when we formed the MDC-Alliance, he did exactly what he is
doing now, that shows you the person he is, which is why I am saying better he
be struck by lightning, that is how angry I am,” said Mr Mhlanga.
Mr Phulu on the other hand distanced himself from the
accusations that were levelled at him by Mr Mhlanga, saying he was not aware
what he was talking about.
“Yes I heard Mr Mhlanga’s voice note but to be honest, I
don’t even know what Mhlanga is talking about, if I knew, maybe I would give an
informed comment but he is just babbling and saying nothing at all. His
accusations do not even make any sense at all,” he said. Sunday News
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