Promise Mkwananzi the spokesman for the Citizens for Change Coalition (CCC) party, has exposed the self-proclaimed “Daddy” character Hopewell Chin’ono who has constructed a four-year reputation for himself through the repetitive tactic of getting arrested, so to outshine the entire Nelson Chamisa-led opposition party. Chin’ono’s claims have been that they were not taking effective action against ZANU PF, claiming he could do better than entire the Nelson Chamisa-led civil society. However, his stance has been shaken after the CCC party made a powerful impact at the recent SADC Extraordinary Summit in Luanda, where they ZANU PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa came out screaming that the regional body is now full pastors, of whom he can’t qualify.
“Not everyone is a Priest,” said Mnangagwa after his claim to presidency were nullified.
On the same day, Chinono threw celebrations while saying Chamisa created what he termed “the mess.”
Hopewell Chin’ono’s rise to prominence as a “Daddy” character grew from his role in undermining torture reports related to the 2018 and 2019 military crackdowns that affected Nelson Chamisa led civil society. He directed Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and President Mnangagwa to target the Chamisa-led civil society, arguing it was essential for a better future in Zimbabwe.
Chin’ono began his anti-Chamisa campaign in January 2019, advising Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to meet with the tortured civil society leaders, including doctors treating injured activists and rape victims. This operation assisted Mnangagwa in discrediting well-researched UN rapporteur reports linking him to the crackdowns. Mnangagwa’s spirited challenge in a France24 interview further solidified Chin’ono’s reputation.
Fast forward to May 28, 2020, Chin’ono declared that he could outperform Nelson Chamisa’s entire party in exposing and combating corruption. He argued that the opposition would achieve nothing through legal means, given Mnangagwa’s control over the judiciary. Within 60 days of that tweet, Chin’ono obtained an arrest, in which he was slapped with baseless charges of incitement to violence. This act catapulted him to “Daddy” hero status, seemingly surpassing the entire opposition.
In 2023, Chin’ono continued to undermine the Chamisa-led party by expressing his desire to see it split and criticizing Chamisa’s priorities, particularly regarding voter registration efforts, despite Chamisa’s well recorded significant efforts in 2022.
Chin’ono has also continued to claim that Chamisa’s MPs are corrupt through USD40,000 remuneration payments, the very same disbursements which ZimEye’s Simba Chikanza spent over 3 years pushing for to be paid them (USD667 per month for 5 years) as part of their dues. His accusations that Chamisa’s MP got bribed by ZANU PF with the USD40,000 come at a time when he (Hopewell Chin’ono) has failed to disclose the UK bank that he claims funded his extremely suspicious sportscar lifestyle since 1996 during the period many of his closest friends were convicted and jailed for money laundering offences.
Following the SADC Extraordinary Summit at the weekend, Chamisa’s party spokesman, Promise Mkwananzi, chose to ignore Hopewell Chin’ono’s latest claims that the CCC was ineffective, instead opting to mock ZANU PF on Twitter.
In response, Hopewell Chin’ono took to the microblogging website on Tuesday to further suggest that Nelson Chamisa’s party lacks viable solutions. This ongoing clash highlights the intricate dynamics within Zimbabwean politics, where individuals strive to shape the narrative and influence the direction of both the opposition and the government, bust most importantly how Chin’ono has manufactured career for himself from ZANU PF assisted arrests so he can be seen as the “Daddy” the country has been waiting for.
@CCCZimbabwe
SEE ATTACHED TWEETS