Staff reporter
Nelson Chamisa’s candidate selection process has started to widen fissures within that party as allegations of imposing candidates with financial muscle are already doing rounds.
Speaking to this publication a source said that the financial constraints that Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party is facing is the major contributor for candidate imposition by that party’s leader leaving some members disgruntled.
“There are serious financial constraints within the CCC party and Chamisa is basically seeking for financially stable candidates to finance that party’s campaign for the harmonised general elections. He has gone to the expense of luring candidates from other parties a development which has angered some party members who think he is disregarding long serving members; in favour of political turncoats such as Thokozani Khupe. Khupe is his first choice for Cowdry Park constituency, followed by Nikolah Brown and Lobengula constituency legislator, Gift Banda. However, in the case of Banda, Chamisa is moving to tame him for he is worried that he might contest as an independent candidate, given that he has the financial capabilities.
“Members within the party want candidates to be selected on merit, integrity, dignity, suitability and accountability which are being disregarded by Chamisa as he is only considering their pockets. He also intends to impose national organisation taskforce chairperson, Maureen Kademaunga following pressure from the Civil Society Organisations who are also funders of that party. It is unfortunate that the popular members with grass root support in CCC have no financial muscle, hence Chamisa’s decision to go with the fly by night candidates who have no meaningful contribution to the party’s progression,” said the source.
Additionally, the same source also pointed out Chamisa’s dictatorial tendencies as influencing his candidate selection criteria. Chamisa is accused of creating puppets such as Sichelesile Muhlangu, Kucaca Phulu in Nkulumane and Phumula respectively, Legislator Happymore Chidziva in Glenview North and Gift Siziba in Phelandaba under the guise that these were youth seats. The source revealed that these candidates were being imposed due to their bootlicking antics hence Chamisa was moving to reward them.
“Chamisa is dictatorial, very uncomfortable in the company of people with a better intellect than his, hence his inner circle is associated with people who pet his ego and as reward he is imposing them at the expense of others,” said the source.
Meanwhile, factionalism continues to self-distract that party as it has become a familiar pattern in the CCC where long standing members have been publicly stripped of their roles including the likes of Job Sikhala, who was denied the post of Vice Chairman in a Twitter post that has since been deleted.
