By TAFADZWA KACHIKO EXILED former Cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo has intensified attacks on the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) for allegedly not having structures.
Moyo yesterday claimed that CCC was operating as a secret society due to the absence of structures and a constitution.
“It is a confirmed fact that CCC is a brand new party with no founding process, no constitution, no structures, and no elected leadership. This fact means CCC is operating illegally, like a secret society. It’s not a dirty tactic to point this fact out,” Moyo tweeted.
It's a confirmed fact that #CCC says it's a brand new party with no founding process (e.g, congress); with no constitution, no structures and no elected leadership. This fact means #CCC is operating illegally, like a secret society. It's not a dirty tactic to point this fact out! pic.twitter.com/hW6EvYu8E3
— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) July 3, 2022
In a long Twitter thread recently, Moyo claimed that CCC’s refusal to be “transparent” on its structures had prompted the discussion to have the political parties registered.
When NewsDay contacted CCC president Nelson Chamisa, he referred questions to party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere and her deputy Gift Siziba.
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Efforts to get hold of Mahere were futile as her number was not reachable. Siziba promised to respond after speaking to Mahere, but had not replied by the time of going to print.
Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya wondered over Moyo’s “obsession” with CCC.
“Moyo’s obsession with CCC structures is curious. As long as there is no law that says political parties have to be registered or should have structures, there is nothing to debate on.
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“Anybody, according to the law, can contest for political office as long as they are on the voters roll. It’s not the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) or CCC that changes laws. It’s Parliament,” Ngwenya said.
“CCC is not a non-governmental organisation governed by the Private Voluntary Organisations Act or Deeds Act. Its legitimacy is based on acceptability to Zec as an electoral contestant. The Constitution permits association and assembly, so as long as CCC presents itself as an electoral body and gets accepted by Zec, its legitimacy is cast in rock-solid stone,” he added.
If a political party styling itself as brand new, with a mission to trigger a "democratic breakthrough" in Zim, has no constitution, no structures and no elected leadership; on what democratic and constitutional grounds can it make demands on anyone to uphold any constitution? pic.twitter.com/3wK2sGuNKm
— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) July 3, 2022
“The utterances point to a person who is prepared to be readmitted into Zanu PF and return home, at any cost. In this instance, by demonstrating hatred for Zanu PF’s rivals in order to please the party,” another analyst Kudakwashe Munemo said.
Section 3 of the Constitution, which declares Zimbabwe as a “multi-party democratic system”, does not define the nature, functions, and rights of political parties.
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