Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
POLITICAL parties are of central importance for the functioning of democratic systems. Actually, in most parts of Africa, they were key in fighting colonial powers who had taken over people’s land and subjected locals to colonial politics of domination, control, segregation and exploitation. With early colonial rule in Zimbabwe characterised by land dispossession and forcible proletarianisation of the African, mass nationalism eventually began with the formation of the City Youth League in 1955 by young activists like George Nyandoro, James Chikerema, Edson Sithole and Duduza Chisiza.
In 1957, the City Youth League and the Bulawayo-based African National Council came together to form the country’s first national political party, the Southern Rhodesian African National Congress (SRANC), later simply called the ANC under Dr Joshua Nkomo. The birth of the City Youth League and subsequent nationalist parties at this time quickened the pace of African nationalism in the post-Second World War era which resulted in the landmark and inspirational independence of Ghana in 1957.
This is a snippet of the genesis of political parties in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The long and short of the pre-colonial agenda of these political parties was to reclaim back the African soil. Kudos to them, the mission was accomplished.
While most progressive citizens of the country were basking in the glory of gaining independence and ultimately their land through the land reform programme, the western imperialists re-emerged, this time through sponsoring various civil societies and political parties. It is therefore not surprising that political party structures and processes, as well as the factors which determine or influence them, have been analysed time and again. The resulting stream of research has shown a great variety of possible organisational forms that political parties can take and thus also a variety of ways in which parties perform society and state-oriented tasks.
The past two decades have presented Zimbabwe with interesting developments within the opposition body politic. Since its inception in 1999, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has gone through interesting phases and mutations that tempt an analysis from time to time. However, in recent developments, the current opposition Citizens for Coalition Change (CCC) which is arguably a mutation of the MDC has provided its fair share of chaos in the broader body politic within the shortest period of time.
The chaos has been mostly attributed to the “founder and leader” of the CCC, Mr Nelson Chamisa, who has gone contrary to the values which he pronounced while “launching” or mutating the opposition MDC Alliance.
“We have lost everything except ourselves. If you want MDC-Alliance, take it. We cannot be sold. Our conviction to bring change to Zimbabwe is unshaken, it is indomitable. We keep moving forward. The people have told us to leave the dirty past. We have listened to the people. It is key to deliver the platform of transformation. Those other people came after our name and we said take it. We will go for the side meal (by-elections), as a starter. The main meal is in 2023 and we are ready. The people have spoken. They want change. We want a new game in town,” said Mr Chamisa in January 2022 while “launching” the CCC.
While it might have been an achievement to give birth to a “new baby” for Mr Chamisa, political scientists have argued that it was a humbling moment to give up and surrender the MDC-Alliance which he had failed to steer. He blamed Zanu-PF for hijacking the party and nearly two years down the line, Mr Chamisa seems to be losing grip of the “new baby” for the second time. MDC-Alliance went with Mr Douglas Mwonzora, who also got the rights to party offices and finances.
Following the recalls instigated internally within the CCC, Mr Chamisa’s camp was to suffer another huge blow on Thursday after being barred from contesting in the by-election. Interim secretary-general Mr Sengezo Tshabangu has argued that Mr Chamisa imposed candidates and disregarded candidates who won in their internal primary elections/ selection processes.
Following the recent loss of grip of the CCC, Mr Chamisa is blaming the ruling Zanu-PF party for being behind the recalls, allegations which Zanu-PF Director for Information and Publicity Cde Farai Marapira distanced themselves from in an interview with Sunday News.
“I would like to dispel rumours where people are saying that Zanu-PF has anything to do with these recalls, to the contrary we have nothing to do with these recalls as this is wholly an opposition thing. We do not do selfish politics, where we only consider our personal interests and forget the interests of the people that have voted us into place. If you look at it, the opposition has not since August 2023 made a single statement or decision that will look at the betterment of the people of Zimbabwe in whatever capacity that they have been voted into office.
“At the end of the day, we as Zanu-PF are very brilliant and we are looking forward to getting a win on all these constituencies because we believe this is an opportunity for the people to realise that these people that were voted in, in August are just selfish, they are always imploding, they never really put the electorate in a position of importance, they are simply focused on themselves and their personal agenda within their internal politics,” said Cde Marapira.
He said as Zanu-PF, whenever there is an election, they always attend as they fought for the people to be able to conduct elections even when the opposition is being selfish.
“When the opportunity comes, we always provide and support our candidates and we always value the electorate. The opposition lacks leadership, it lacks seriousness and is devoid of any sense of humanity towards the people that voted them into positions in the first place.
“It is time to vote for candidates and the party of choice which puts their needs and wants over and above everything else,” said Cde Marapira. — @nyeve14.
Online Reporter