Political Reporter

Fissures between opposition activist, Hopewell Chin'ono and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, Nelson Chamisa continues to widen following the activist’s latest remarks on the opposition leader's lack of social media presence.

In a series of tweets, Chin'ono said that the failure of the Zimbabwean opposition to use social media effectively like what President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia and his team did during their election campaign would contribute to its message remaining with the converted.

"If you go to President Hichilema's timeline during their elections, he was tweeting almost every hour about the real issues," Chin'ono said. "Zimbabwe's main opposition leader can at times go for days without saying anything on social media."

Chin’ono added: “Foreign journalists are bewildered by this (Chamisa’s social media absence) because in any election, journalists constantly watch the social media handles of the contenders”

Chin'ono's comments were echoed by political analyst, Terrence Chipwanya, who said that the CCC's infighting was causing it to fail to coordinate social media interventions.

"The CCC is a divided party, and this is reflected in its social media presence," Chipwanya said. "There is no clear message, and the party's supporters are often at odds with each other."

Chipwanya said that the CCC's lack of social media presence was likely to cost it votes in the next election.

"In today's world, social media is a powerful tool, and the CCC is simply not using it to its advantage," Chipwanya said. "This is a major weakness, and it is likely to cost them votes."

The CCC has not yet responded to Chin'ono's comments. However, the party has been criticised in the past for its lack of social media presence. In 2022, the party was accused of being "invisible" on social media, with some political analysts saying that the party was not doing enough to reach out to young voters.