By A Correspondent- A Nelson Chamisa close senior member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Gift Gonese, who contested the 2023 general election under the party banner, has distanced himself from the faction led by Sengezo Tshabangu and registered to contest the upcoming Gutu East by-election as an independent candidate.
Gonese will face off against Zivanai Nzvenga of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and Zanu PF’s Zvavaresha Masvingise in the by-election scheduled for June 14, 2025.
This latest development marks yet another high-profile defection from the Tshabangu-led CCC faction, amid growing divisions and contestations over leadership and candidate selection within the opposition movement.
Despite Citizens Coalition for Change founder Nelson Chamisa currently on political sabbatical, sources indicate that Gonese still enjoys significant backing from Chamisa’s loyalists, who are rallying behind his independent candidacy.
Speaking to The Masvingo Mirror after filing his nomination papers at the Masvingo Magistrates Court, Gonese alleged that the 2023 election was rigged in favour of Zanu PF. He said the people of Gutu East were fully aware of what he termed “electoral manipulation” and expressed confidence in his prospects.
“People in Gutu East are well aware that elections to Zanu PF are about rigging. They know that the ground is not even, and the path to the election is thorny. I am back in the ring at the invitation of the citizens. We have done a lot of groundwork, and we are confident of delivering victory,” said Gonese.
The nomination process was conducted in Court 2 of the Masvingo Magistrates Court before a Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) nomination officer and two assessors.
NCA candidate Zivanai Nzvenga acknowledged that his party is still small and was unable to field a candidate in 2023. However, he expressed optimism about his chances in the upcoming poll.
Zanu PF’s candidate, Zvavaresha Masvingise—former councillor for Ward 14 in Gutu East—said he had “done his homework.” However, his candidacy is not without controversy. A faction within Zanu PF is reportedly unhappy with the outcome of the party’s primary election process, alleging that the primaries were rigged in Masvingise’s favour and vowing to undermine his campaign.
Masvingise is running under the Zanu PF banner following the expulsion of former MP Benjamin Ganyiwa, a move some believe was politically motivated due to Ganyiwa’s alleged links to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s faction.