CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) faction leader Jameson Timba has declared a seismic comeback for the party in 2025, revealing the re-emergence of the opposition movement’s “authentic leaders” to form a formidable charge against the ruling Zanu PF.
Timba is the leader of a CCC faction that is sympathetic to former party leader Nelson Chamisa.
Chamisa ditched the opposition party in January last year citing infiltration by Zanu PF after self-imposed interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu went on a spree to recall elected party legislators and councillors.
Following Chamisa’s resignation, the party split into three camps, one led by Timba, the other by Welshman Ncube and the third by Tshabangu.
Speaking to NewsDay Weekender early this week, Timba hinted at the former CCC leaders’ comeback during the year as the opposition rebuilds to fight against Zanu PF governance.
“In 2025, the true opposition led by its true leaders will emerge stronger while the proxies of the regime within its ranks will disappear into political oblivion,” he said.
Timba also vowed that the opposition party remains invincible despite the Zanu PF-led government’s efforts to silence them, including the recent arrest of himself alongside more than 70 party youths for holding a political gathering.
Several CCC activists have been arrested and incarcerated in what has been described as trumped up charges last year.
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Others have been abducted and tortured by suspected State security agents, who have not been brought to book.
“It is folly for anyone to think that they can destroy the opposition in Zimbabwe without literally exterminating the majority of the inhabitants of this country,” Timba said.
“The opposition resides in the hearts and minds of the people.
“It is the sum of their aspirations for freedom, prosperity, and happiness.”
He described his faction as a resilient party that withstood Zanu PF’s attempts to destroy it last year.
“In my view, the Zimbabwe opposition in 2024 demonstrated its resilience by withstanding the machinations of the conflated party State led by Zanu PF to destroy it,” he said.
But another CCC faction leader, Ncube, recently told our sister paper, The Standard, that 2024 was a wasted year as the opposition failed to make any meaningful progress in challenging Zanu PF.
Timba was in November last year convicted together with 34 activists on charges of participating in an unlawful gathering, more than five months after being in pre-trial detention.
The opposition party activists were arrested on June 16 at Timba’s residence in Avondale, Harare and charged with disorderly conduct and participating in a gathering with the intent to promote violence, breaches of peace or bigotry.
The court in September acquitted them of the disorderly conduct charges.
Thirty other activists arrested at the same time were also acquitted of participating in the illegal gathering.
Timba and the others were among the first of about 160 opposition figures and activists to be rounded up before an August summit meeting of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community in Harare.
