CCC shooting itself in the foot

Yoliswa Moyo, Features Editor

WOMEN in what one would assume were their Sunday Best pranced around the Matabeleland South Provincial Nomination Court where National Assembly candidates submitted their nomination papers on Wednesday.

Small caucuses, most speaking in hushed tones, littered the parking lot which itself held dozens of top-of-the range cars.

While some could afford to kill time, others were still frantically trying to get their paperwork in order.

They shuffled back and forth to look for one document or the other in order to meet the requirements of the Nomination Court.

There were hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking scenes as candidates came with inadequate papers and had to be turned away to get more documents.

Inside the courtroom, silence hovered over the gallery as candidates anxiously submitted their paperwork and awaited their fate.

A significant number of opposition and independent candidates seemed ill-prepared although the June 21 date was announced about three weeks ago.

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidates were the biggest casualty as their nomination papers arrived 10 minutes short of the close of the Nomination Court at 4PM.

Earlier in the afternoon, CCC candidates had retreated in despair to the party offices dubbed “Yellow House” as they waited for the party leadership to send their papers through, from Harare.

Some independent candidates did not have enough money while others scrounged for registered voters to nominate them, as part of the requirements to file their papers.

The Nomination Court sat countrywide on Wednesday to accept candidates for the 2023 harmonised elections to be held on 23 August.

Candidates vying for the presidential post were expected to pay a US$20 000 nomination fee and submit their papers at the High Court in Harare.

National Assembly candidates submitted their papers at the Provincial Magistrate Courts and were expected to pay a US$1 000 fee.

Senators, Women’s Quota and Youth Quota candidates paid US$200 each and their papers were also submitted at Provincial Magistrate Courts.

Local authority candidates were not expected to pay anything and submitted their papers at council offices countrywide.

Candidates were expected to produce three passport size photos (full colour), original birth certificate and a copy, original National ID and a copy, gazetted nomination fees and two signed copies of the code of conduct for political parties and candidates as well as confirmation by an authorised party representative that he or she is the candidate for the party.

While CCC may want to fool the world and say that they are a democratic grouping that offers a better pool of leadership for the citizens of Zimbabwe, that is far from the truth.

This has been evidenced by the party’s failure to conduct free and fair internal polls ahead of the Nomination Court and the confusion preceding the submission of nomination papers. CCC leader Advocate Nelson Chamisa’s election strategy has been shrouded in mystery with members complaining of the lack of transparency.

He has cited “strategic ambiguity” which doesn’t seem to be working if the goings on at the Nomination Court are anything to go by.

Candidates were left angry and frustrated as it was still unclear who was running for which seat just a few hours before the Nomination Court sat. The administration of the party remains questionable as it doesn’t seem to have traceable provincial structures outside of the party leader and the two spokespersons, Fadzai Mahere and Gift Siziba.

Advocate Chamisa said he was “keeping the strategy to his chest”, which further casts doubt on his secret society and no-structures-strategy.

The absence of democracy and dictatorship undermine the opposition’s election hope.

While it will mostly be a contest between the ruling Zanu-PF and CCC as the Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC did not field candidates for a significant number of National Assembly and local authority seats, CCC will have no one but themselves to blame if they lose.

Zapu fielded a handful of candidates while independent candidates, largely former CCC members, make up a significant chunk of the other candidates.

The ruling party went uncontested for Gwanda Municipality Wards 1 and 2 represented by Cdes Sithabiso Mpofu and Thulani Moyo respectively as CCC failed to field candidates in the respective wards.

As a result of the confusion within the party, some CCC members such as Gwanda Mayor Councillor Njabulo Siziba opted to run as independent candidates.

Matabeleland South Proportional Representative MP and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Broadcasting Services Sipho Mokone who was allegedly billed to represent CCC in Gwanda North constituency was scrapped at the 11th hour and although she had opted to run as an independent candidate, she failed to submit her nomination papers before the clock hit 4PM, at the close of the Nomination Court.

Fielding of double candidates remains in the DNA of the opposition as CCC fielded two candidates in two constituencies in Bulawayo Province — Pelandaba-Tshabalala and Pumula.

According to reports, 19 candidates were disqualified after failing to pay nomination fees.

Zanu-PF has taken an early lead in the 2023 harmonised elections as it has already won 74 local authority seats uncontested after opposition parties failed to field candidates in some wards. In Bulawayo the ruling party was the only one that filed nomination papers for the 10 Provincial Council seats.

According to reports, CCC members in Masvingo almost traded blows outside the Nomination Court as they quarrelled over the final list of candidates.

Candidates are said to have pushed and shoved outside the Masvingo Magistrates Court where the Nomination Court was sitting as they haggled over the final list of candidates.

CCC Mayor Councillor Collins Maboke filed his papers to contest the Masvingo Urban National Assembly seat as an independent candidate officially renouncing his membership of the party.

The situation was the same in Chiredzi West where former Chiredzi council chair Gibson Hwende also reportedly filed papers to contest as an independent candidate.

It is clear that many have started to see CCC for what it really is. They have chosen to distance themselves and in their ingenuity believe they are better alone than with CCC.

CCC is not being sabotaged and there’s no “strategic ambiguity”. Why should a political party which claims to carry the hopes of citizens be ambiguous in its operations? CCC is just disorganised and continues to shoot itself in the foot. – @Yolisswa.