The Welshman Ncube-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) announced on Wednesday that self-appointed party secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu had been expelled from the party for violating the party constitution.
Following the 2023 elections, Tshabangu began purging CCC members of parliament and councillors understood at the time to be close allies of the then-party leader Nelson Chamisa, claiming that they had ceased to be party members.
Critics and analysts maintain that it appeared Tshabangu was playing a long game, in cahoots with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Zanu PF, to hijack the CCC party then led by Chamisa after the latter refused to acknowledge Mnangagwa's 2023 election victory, citing irregularities which were also recorded in several election observer mission reports.
Ncube's CCC charged Tshabangu with four counts and found him guilty on all four.
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, party spokesperson Willias Madzimure said that Tshabangu had contravened the party constitution clause 9.1.2.3.
Madzimure stated that in November and December, Tshabangu had made changes to CCC Parliamentary Portfolio holders without the authority of the President or any organ of the party. He said Tshabangu had breached the party's constitution rules and regulations in that he brazenly defied the authority of the President of the CCC, the National Standing Committee, the National Executive Committee, and the National Council.
On the second count, Tshabangu was found guilty of making public pronouncements on changes to party representatives in parliament without first seeking the approval of the President of the CCC or its organs, namely the National Standing Committee, the National Executive Committee, and the National Council.
On the third count, the CCC stated that Tshabangu had brought the name and reputation of the party into disrepute by making changes in Parliament without the approval of the party organs.
On the fourth count, Tshabangu was found guilty of disrespecting the office of the President of the CCC and its organs by making derogatory remarks in the public media, where he made statements after his suspension from the party.
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"Having found Sengezo Tshabangu guilty of all the charges, and having regard to the gravity of the acts of misconduct of which the Committee convicted him, the Committee decided to sentence him to expulsion from the party with immediate effect," part of Madzimure's statement reads.
Madzimure added that he was uncertain whether Tshabangu would appeal, but implied that this expulsion could follow to give him a taste of his own medicine because he was the one who started the purging of party representatives from Parliament and local authorities.
NewZimbabwe.com made efforts to reach Tshabangu, but he did not answer his mobile phone.
However, one of his lawyers, Kucaca Phulu, confirmed that Tshabangu had appeared before the CCC party Disciplinary Committee but said he was not the one who spoke on behalf of Tshabangu and directed questions to fellow lawyer Nqobani Sithole.
When reached for comment, Sithole rubbished the disciplinary Committee, its verdict, and its sentence, describing it as a "charade." "They do not have that power. They do not have structures. Structures that can exercise that power are not in existence at the moment. It is a charade," he stated.
When asked why Tshabangu had appeared before a committee that he described as a charade, Sithole said his client had appeared to "simply tell them that they are a charade".
Last December, Ncube's group dragged Tshabangu to the High Court for pronouncing parliamentary changes without consulting his party organs. The High Court ruled in favour of Ncube's group before Tshabangu appealed the same ruling at the Supreme Court. The matter is yet to be heard.
