KEY POINTS
- CCC expelled Sengezo Tshabangu for violating party rules.
- He was accused of undermining leadership and making unilateral changes.
- His lawyer dismissed the expulsion, calling it a political charade.
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), led by Welshman Ncube, has officially expelled Sengezo Tshabangu, the self-proclaimed secretary general of the party.
The decision, announced Wednesday, comes after the party’s disciplinary committee found him guilty of four counts of misconduct, including undermining party structures and unilaterally making changes to parliamentary representatives.
According to CCC spokesperson Willias Madzimure, Tshabangu violated clause 9.1.2.3 of the party’s constitution. The charges against him stem from his actions in November and December, when he reportedly reshuffled CCC’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee leadership without consulting the party’s president or other governing bodies.
The disciplinary committee ruled that Tshabangu had brought the party’s name into disrepute and disrespected CCC’s leadership, including the National Executive Committee and the National Council.
“Having found Sengezo Tshabangu guilty on all counts, the committee decided to expel him from the party with immediate effect,” Madzimure said in the statement.
Tshabangu accused of destabilizing CCC for political gain
Tshabangu’s actions after the 2023 elections have raised suspicions among political analysts and critics, who believe he was working to weaken the party’s leadership.
Observers argue that his decisions to remove CCC members from Parliament and local councils were part of a wider strategy to align with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu PF.
Tshabangu’s leadership had been highly contested, particularly after Nelson Chamisa’s exit from CCC. Chamisa, who previously led the party, rejected Mnangagwa’s election victory, citing irregularities noted in several election observer reports.
According to New Zimbabwe, many CCC supporters and opposition figures view Tshabangu’s actions as an attempt to hijack the party.
His unilateral parliamentary changes and public statements only deepened divisions within the opposition party, leading to legal battles and internal conflicts.
Legal battle continues as Tshabangu calls expulsion a “charade”
Tshabangu has avoided public statements on the expulsion while his lawyer Nqobani Sithole declared the disciplinary process illegitimate.
“They do not have the power to expel him,” Sithole said. “They do not have structures that allow them to do so. It is a charade.”
Despite calling the process illegitimate, Tshabangu still appeared before the committee, with his lawyer stating that his presence was only to tell them they were illegitimate.
The legal battle over his role in CCC is far from over. Last December, CCC leadership took Tshabangu to court, accusing him of unlawfully altering parliamentary structures without party approval.
The High Court ruled in favor of Ncube’s faction, but Tshabangu appealed the decision at the Supreme Court, where the case remains pending.
His expulsion marks another major shift in Zimbabwe’s political landscape, as CCC continues to struggle with internal divisions and external pressures from the ruling Zanu PF.
