BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
There is allegedly a fresh plot to confuse supporters of the Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) after a shadowy political group notified the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) that it was registering one of CCC’s popular campaign slogans as theirs.
The unknown group using a Harare address is said to have notified Zec that a party known as Ngaapinde Hake Mukomana (NHM) loosely translated to “let him in” in English will contest future elections.
It indicated 95 Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare as its address.
A check at the address revealed that the building houses different retail shops and there was no office for a political party.
The letter signed by the purported new party’s secretary general one John Pindura claimed that a Frank Mandipa was their leader.
An online search of the two names yielded nothing, which could suggest that they are virtually unknown or might not exist at all.
CCC deputy spokesperson Gift Ostalos Siziba said the purported letter, now trending on social media, was an attempt by Zanu PF to derail CCC, which was formed in January.
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The party went on to win the majority of parliamentary and local government seats in by-elections held in March and early this month.
Siziba said they were seeing a Zanu PF hand in the alleged attempt to torpedo Chamisa’s campaign ahead of the 2023 elections where he is set to contest against President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the second time.
“It is a sign that Zanu PF is desperate.
“It’s foolish for Zanu PF to think that they can hijack the revolution by using the NHM,” Siziba said.
“NHM is not a trademark of the CCC, but just a philosophical mass mobilisation watchword.”
He said the move proved that CCC was causing Zanu PF sleepless nights.
“The attempt to register a party in the name of our watchword is a sign that CCC is a popular party,” Siziba said.
“Zanu PF lacks intellectual rigour and that is why they are always following us trying to hijack every idea we have. We lead them in terms of ideas.
“We will not be worried about that anyway. We will always have new ideas.”
Effie Ncube, a Bulawayo-based political commentator, said the move to register a slogan associated with CCC as a name for another party could have been triggered by the performance of Chamisa’s party in the by-elections.
“There is no doubt at all that Zanu is spending sleepless nights worrying about the growth and the resilience of the CCC party. Therefore it is coming up with all sorts of shenanigans including forming political parties to try and disturb the inevitable demise of Zanu PF,” Ncube said.
Zanu PF director of communications Tafadzwa Mugwadi yesterday said the ruling party had no business sponsoring opposition parties.
“We have no business commenting on matters that have no bearing on our trajectory,” Mugwadi said.
“However, it would be a sad day in history if any political player were to frown on the formation of other new political players.
“The president is clear that we are a multiparty democratic state and everyone has a right to form what is formable.
“The ballot shall be the equaliser and we will teach them a lesson of their life in 2023 through the ballot.”
In 2021, another shadowy group calling itself Citizens Convergence for Change wrote to ZEC to register the CCC acronym which at the time was linked to Chamisa before he officially launched the party.
The outfit mentioned prominent Bulawayo lawyer Tavengwa Hara as the party’s legal representative. Hara, however, distanced himself from the party.
Zec spokesperson Jasper Mangwana said he could not comment on the latest developments.
“We can’t comment until we receive something on the notice of elections.” Mangwana said.
“You know in Zimbabwe, we don’t register or regulate political parties.”
Zanu PF is often accused of sponsoring opposition political parties in the hope that they will divide the vote and ensure that the ruling party wins.
