The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in Matabeleland South province has disowned 30 people who were paraded last Friday by Zanu-PF, which claimed they had defected from the Nelson Chamisa-led opposition party.

The State media yesterday reported that Zanu-PF leadership in Matabeleland South welcomed more than 30 defectors from CCC in Gwanda.

The alleged defectors said they were enticed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s developmental agenda.

But CCC chairperson for Matabeleland South Solani Moyo yesterday dismissed the claims saying the 30 were never CCC members.

“The reports are a surprise to me. We do not know those people who were paraded. We have no members who we know who have defected to Zanu-PF,” Moyo said.

“I have checked with our structures in Gwanda and they are saying they do not know those people. The whole thing is a lie, and the truth is people are tired of Zanu-PF,” he said.

Moyo said CCC would win all the wards up for grabs in September 3 by-elections. These include wards 1, 14 and 16.

One of the alleged defectors, Precious Nhliziyo said they were coming back home to Zanu-PF because they were lost in the CCC party.

“What we need is development in our area, which is what the ruling party is offering and convincing us that we should come back home,” Nhliziyo said.

Zanu-PF member Lungisani Ncube claimed that he met the defectors while sharing Mnangagwa’s developmental programmes in the district.

Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairperson Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu welcomed the defectors saying Zanu-PF was open to everyone.

“You have come in your numbers and I have no doubt that it’s because of President Mnangagwa’s development drive to prosper our country. Our President has been calling on all of us to be at the forefront of building our nation,” Ndlovu said.

Towards elections, Zanu-PF often parades dozens of people it claims would have defected from opposition parties.