Zimpapers Logo

Tinotenda C. Dominic

Correspondent

Taking a sober and none politically-biased observation into CCC, one cannot help it, but agree that the opposition party’s secretary-general Chalton Hwende, or interim vice-national chairperson Job “Wiwa” Sikhala, both of Maruva cabal are after the leadership post. 

It is evident by their often resistance that both Hwende and Sikhala have teamed up to eliminate their common enemy Chamisa. 

Sikhala has also been reported to have indicated that Chamisa is too weak for leadership and only became the face of CCC simply because for his youthful looks plus influence of members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), and not because of his leadership qualities.

Consciously aware of the qualities that the duo possess, Chamisa has almost permanently devoted his time in enforcing policies that will ensure that both Sikhala and Hwende are restricted to paltry positions. He has, however, failed to execute his duties as party leader.

One of such incident when Chamisa failed to perform his duty was when he failed to provide reasonable law services or advise to a detained Sikhala. 

This is despite the fact that Chamisa is a lawyer by profession and that Sikhala committed his crime while he was conducting CCC sanctioned duties. 

Failures by Chamisa have, however, seen support and ratings for Sikhala rise sharply as he has become the darling of CCC and a political prisoner as opposed to Chamisa. 

Sikhala’s popularity has also risen both domestically and abroad resulting in the United States (US) and Swedish governments each pledging funds to help free Sikhala. A leading international law firm Amsterdam and Partners based in the US and United Kingdom (UK) has also offered pro-bono services to help free Sikhala. 

Chamisa has resorted to sending mere solidarity messages to Sikhala to save face and humiliation while still remaining dormant on measures that will ensure the Sikhala’s release from prison. 

To rub salt onto the ever-growing differences between the two leaders, Sikhala made headlines after he declined to give Chamisa audience as the latter had visited the former at Chikurubi. 

Sikhala’s reason for declining Chamisa’s visit was that it was no longer beneficial as the two had since stopped seeing eye to eye.

In December 2022, Sikhala penned an emotional letter to the public and his loyalists. He alleged that CCC leader and his allies had let him down and abandoned him to rot at Chikurubi. 

He also revealed that Chamisa’s allies had poisoned him and thus leading up to his suffering from an unknown disease.

A leaked WhatsApp chat between CCC interim spokesperson and an unidentified, but concerned party activist, Mahere openly admitted that Chamisa was willing to let Sikhala rot in detention as he felt that Sikhala was also up for party leadership. 

He has settled to sending solidarity messages as he does not want to risk agitating Sikhala’s supporters. 

“Thank you for your concern but of late, that is no longer the position in the movement.

“The president once warned him publicly about his violent tendencies, but as you know, his ambitions to lead the opposition with Tendai got the better of him. All we can offer is solidarity and I have been consistent in doing so. However, our intelligence informed us he is now working on his own project from prison,” stated Mahere’s tweet.

Another CCC premier who is also a leadership contender is Hwende.

The financially-resourced politician has been calling the shots in the opposition party for some time now. 

Differences between Hwende and Chamisa surfaced when the party president blasted the former’s secretary general tittle. 

A party member had referred to Hwende as SG, Chamisa came out guns blazing saying the party did not have such positions and if such posts were to exist, Hwende was not such. 

The comment made by Chamisa was later deleted, but one can only guess that it did not go down well with Hwende.

Ever since that public humiliation of Hwende on Twitter by Chamisa, he has taken a leadership role in openly defying the opposition party president’s set instructions. 

One bold incident is when Hwende defied and incited party members to resist Chamisa’s instructions that opposition members should abscond from accepting Government US$40 000 loan. 

In his bid to save face again, Chamisa went back on his orders and allowed party members to collect the Government’s loans. 

However, leaked chats from CCC administered WhatsApp group suggested that party senior politicians such as Sikhala, Hwende and Tendai Biti had already applied and collected their share of the loans.

Hwende also went on to withdraw his services from Mhondoro Mugwazo project while opting to concentrate on his Kuwadzana constituency. 

Mugwazo is Chamisa’s brainchild project meant to penetrate Zanu PF rural strongholds. 

According to political commentators, Hwende’s withdrawal from the project is a signal that he feels that he has no political obligation to assist Chamisa in his quest to become the next president of Zimbabwe after the 2023 harmonised general elections. 

Hwende has also displayed more mature and superior political prowess as compared to Chamisa. 

He has managed to lure and surround himself with seasoned political players such as Biti, resident director of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Dangamvura Arnold Tsunga and Sikhala among others. 

Hwende feels these politicians command huge followers and are also strategists who will most probably be able to stage a better fight against the ruling Zanu PF. 

As Sikhala and Hwende have displayed their resilience when presented with tough situations, Chamisa on the other hand has offered a structure-less party which will soon launch itself for the second time in 13 months. 

He has also managed to fleece vulnerable and gullible CCC Diasporas through the #GoFundMe project purportedly to buy an armoured                             vehicle. 

After raising US$122 500 against a required target of US$120 000 neither the car nor the money can be recovered. Party interim treasurer David Coltart has also claimed that he is not aware of the whereabouts of the money.

Chamisa has also remodelled his CCC party from a democratic party into an authoritarian regime where only he has the voice and the rest are muzzled.