Political Reporter
A committee appointed by Nelson Chamisa to preside over Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate selection process yesterday was dismissed as partisan and incompetent by members of that party.
A number of CCC members who spoke to this publication said that the 11 member committee appointed by Chamisa was biased as it wanted to impose certain candidates on the electorate.
Last Monday, Chamisa appointed a candidate selection committee led by Heal Zimbabwe executive director, Rashid Mahiya to preside over the candidates selection process.
Director of a local NGO, Rodrick Fayayo, who heads the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), was also part of the committee as well as the Citizens Manifesto programmes co-ordinator, Vivid Gwede.
The director of Women Academy for Leadership and Excellence (WALPE), Stabile Dewa, Zinasu leader, Boris Tadiwanashe Muguti, Zinasu co-coordinator, Alister Pfunye, CCC communications expert, Tawanda Moyo, Eric Matinenga and leaders of Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) Church were also part of the committee.
“We don’t want our elections to be presided over by pastors and members of NGOs. The party should have formed a National Directorate committee led by seasoned party members. This committee led by Mahiya does not know the culture of CCC and we don’t want it to preside over our internal polls,” said a disgruntled CCC member.
Another CCC member said that the elections committee was biased and favoured certain candidates.
“It was like the committee members were under instruction to make certain candidates sail through. They were not listening to the concerns of the people and at some centres, they caused the abandonment of the selection exercise when it was apparent that their preferred candidates were not popular,” added another member.
The CCC members in Bulawayo accused Fayayo of blocking members who wanted to nominate Welshman Ncube as that party’s presidential candidate. Fayayo allegedly told the CCC members that the position of president was already occupied by Chamisa and no one was allowed to nominate anyone for that position.
Some CCC members said that the candidates selection process that took place yesterday should be dismissed as null and void because the process was not democratic and transparent.
“The process should be reconvened. What we witnessed yesterday was a circus. We want genuine primary elections that would be presided over by seasoned party members not NGO members,” fumed another CCC member.
Meanwhile, AFM pastor, Munyanyiwa who was the national commissar for the committee and was responsible for the deployment of ward presiding officers, was accused of taking bribes from aspiring candidates to secure them a ticket to represent CCC in the forthcoming elections.
