THE BATTLE FOR CCC: WHO REALLY LEADS ZIMBABWE’S MAIN OPPOSITION?
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), is in deep crisis. What was once seen as a powerful force against ZANU PF has now turned into a battlefield. Factions are fighting for control, leaders are being challenged, and confusion reigns among supporters. At the center of the chaos is a bitter fight over who should lead the CCC.
Sengezo Tshabangu, calling himself the party’s Secretary-General, shocked everyone recently by announcing that Welshman Ncube is now the interim leader of the CCC. Tshabangu is supported by other known political figures like Tendai Biti and Lynette Karenyi-Kore. His faction says the party will now be led through a rotational system, with Ncube at the top for now. This announcement has added more fire to an already burning house.
But this move was quickly dismissed by another faction loyal to former party leader Nelson Chamisa. Promise Mkwananzi, the CCC spokesperson, made it clear in a press statement that this decision means nothing. According to him, the party is still led by James Timba, who was chosen by the Citizens National Assembly (CNA) earlier this year. Mkwananzi said the CNA’s January 31 resolutions are final and must be respected.
“The CNA reconfirmed its decision on leadership and dismissed Welshman Ncube and his group. They are living in a fantasy,” Mkwananzi said. He added that the CCC is not under the old MDC 2019 structure that was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court. Instead, Timba is leading the party’s operations as the caretaker, and there is no acting president or new top committee for now.
To back this up, the CNA has expanded the party’s Administrative Bureau. This move was done to tighten control and avoid confusion. New key figures have been confirmed to lead different departments:
- Agency Gumbo will lead Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,
- Ropafadzo Makumire will head Local Government,
- Leslie Mukurazhizha takes charge of Finance and Fundraising, and
- Mudzingwa is in charge of the People With Disabilities Bureau.
These appointments are meant to strengthen the leadership of the Timba-led camp and push back against Tshabangu’s growing influence. It is clear the Chamisa-aligned faction is trying to bring order in the middle of political chaos.
This battle is about more than just names. It’s about the soul of the CCC. The party is stuck in a deep crisis, and many Zimbabweans are watching with worry. What was once the country’s best hope for change is now tearing itself apart.
The fight between the two groups also reflects how hard it is to run an opposition party in Zimbabwe. State pressure, political games, and internal power struggles are slowly destroying the CCC from within. It is a fight between those who say they want to save the party and those accused of trying to destroy it from the inside.
Supporters are confused, frustrated, and scared about what the future holds. Will the CCC survive this civil war? Can the party recover and unite once again? Or will it split permanently, leaving ZANU PF to rule without a strong challenge?
The answer is not yet clear. But one thing is certain: this battle is not over. The CCC is in a deep leadership crisis, and unless it finds peace soon, its dream of leading Zimbabwe may die before it even begins.
