Staff Reporter
Recent events have shed light on a worrying trend involving members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), as they continue to perpetrate acts of violence¸ the Harare Post has learnt.
According to a source in the opposition outfit, a group of six CCC members, led by one Gift Chatambudza, attacked MDC-T leader, Douglas Mwonzora's security aide, Panganayi Musarudzwa, during the funeral of Rosemary Chiruva in Epworth recently.
“A troubling incident occurred when a group of six CCC members, led by Gift Chatambudza, was involved in an altercation at the funeral of Rosemary Chiruva in Epworth. The target of the confrontation is Douglas Mwonzora's security aide, Panganayi Musarudzwa,” revealed the source.
The source revealed that the incident escalated quickly when Chatambudza, the brother of Kudakwashe Chatambudza, who lost in the CCC's Epworth South election, accused Musarudzwa of being affiliated to Forever Associates Zimbabwe Trust (FAZ), a group which is alleged to have supported CCC's double candidate, Didimus Bande.
"Chatambudza, brother to the CCC losing candidate in Epworth South, Kudakwashe Chatambudza, confronted Musarudzwa at the funeral of Rosemary Chiruva. He accused him of being a member of the FAZ, which allegedly supported CCC's double candidate, Didimus Bande.
“Tempers flared, and Chatambudza, along with other six CCC members, resorted to violence, using clenched fists to assault Musarudzwa. The confrontation left Musarudzwa nursing injuries, including a broken ankle and various bruises, which resulted in him being referred to the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital for treatment,” said the source.
The source further revealed that an assault case against Chatambudza and his associates was subsequently reported at Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Dombo Ramwari station. At the time of publishing, no arrests had been made yet.
This incident follows closely on the heels of other violent actions involving CCC members. CCC Sunningdale legislator, Maureen Kademaunga and Harare Ward 10 councillor Clyde Mushonjera were recently arrested on charges of attempted murder and assault, further highlighting the tendency for violence within the CCC ranks.
Meanwhile, during the run-up to the 2023 elections, CCC perpetrated more incidents of political violence than any other political players in the country. The CCC faced accusations of perpetrating acts of violence in various regions, including Hurungwe, Magunje, Umguza, and Shamva. Surprisingly, the incidents were not adequately addressed in the post-election report compiled by the Head of the SADC Election Observer Mission (SEOM), Dr Nevers Mumba and his team.
