By James Gwati- At least 50 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 11 senators from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) linked to the party’s founding President Nelson Chamisa, boycotted a Zanu PF meeting held at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Precabe Farm in Kwekwe, Sunday.
The CCC, which has a total of 88 MPs and 27 senators, saw only 15 legislators in attendance.
Notably, those present were aligned with Sengezo Tshabangu, the party’s self-imposed and divisive former secretary-general who was recently fired.
The Chamisa loyalists snubbed the meeting following advice from caretaker leader Jameson Timba to steer clear of the event.
Tshabangu appointed many of the MPs who attended after he controversially recalled several legislators following the August 2023 harmonized elections.
Despite the low turnout, Tshabangu downplayed the boycott, describing the event as a success.
“This is the most significant event in the current context of solution-finding, nation-building, and consensus,” Tshabangu said. “Zimbabwe is our country. We will find a way of solving our admittedly self-evident national challenges. There is an answer; we will find a way. All we need is to be brave.”
Among the MPs present were Matabeleland representatives Charles Moyo, Kucaca Phulu, and Thokozani Khupe.
Edwin Mushoriwa, the chief whip of the CCC faction aligned with Welshman Ncube, clarified the absence of many legislators, citing a lack of formal communication from Parliament regarding the meeting.
Observers view the meeting at Precabe Farm as part of a broader strategy by Mnangagwa’s allies to secure opposition support in extending his presidency beyond the constitutionally mandated two terms.