Councillors
Esther Zishiri, Alaica Time, and Bernad Muchokwa have been accused by a faction
of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) of campaigning for Struggle
Nyahunda, an independent candidate in the Ward 7 by-election. Nyahunda
is widely perceived to be aligned with former CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, who
resigned from active politics.
The move to
recall the councilors is believed to originate from the camp of Sengezo
Tshabangu, the controversial interim CCC secretary-general who has asserted
control over the party’s structures.
This faction is
allegedly backing a rival independent candidate, Prosper Tiringindi, turning
the by-election into a proxy war for the soul of the opposition in Masvingo.
The CCC itself
failed to field an official candidate, a failure that has intensified internal
blame games and recriminations. The Tshabangu-led camp now views support for
Nyahunda as a direct challenge to its authority and an act of defiance that
warrants severe disciplinary action.
Sources within
the council confirmed that recall letters have already been served, though the
matter is yet to be formally tabled for discussion. The councillors now await
their fate, their political careers hanging in the balance over their alleged
loyalties.
Sources who
spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that the recall threat was
specifically designed to intimidate councilors into submission.
“This is purely
a power play to show them who is in charge. Their fate doesn’t lie with the
electorate but with the Tshabangu-led team, and here in Masvingo, that power
ultimately rests with Rocky Kamuzonda,”said the source.
The
vulnerability of the targeted councilors is particularly pronounced in the case
of Zishiri and Time, who entered council through the party’s proportional
representation quota system rather than direct election.
“These two are
especially exposed, they weren’t elected by voters but seconded by the party
through a quota system. This makes them easier to intimidate with recall
threats since their political existence depends entirely on remaining in the
party’s good books,” said the source.
City Mayor,
Councillor Alec Tabe, distanced the local authority from the process, stating,
“The recall of councillors is not within the jurisdiction of the local
authority. This is a party process that follows its own procedures.”
Rocky
Kamuzonda, the CCC’s Secretary for Elections in Masvingo who is alleged to have
written the letters and delivered them to council, declined to comment,
directing all inquiries to the party’s fractured national executive.
TellZimNews
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