Chamisa's CCC urges members to join CIO, army

A SENIOR official in the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has urged party youths in Matebeleland to join intelligence and security services to save themselves from possible post-election violence like the 1980s Gukurahundi and August 2018 fatal shootings.

Felix Magalela Sibanda made the call during a debate on elections on the Nkayi Community Parliament (NCP) Platform on Saturday last week.

Other speakers in the discussion included Zapu representative Bernard Magugu, Mthwakazi Republic Party representative Leornard Dube, Freedom Alliance deputy national leader Presia Ngulube, Republic Party of Zimbabwe president Kwanele Hlabangana and Nkayi South legislator (Zanu-PF) Stars Mathe.

Responding to questions from NCP, Sibanda said they grew up being told that violence did not promote development.

He said started the culture of violence when it launched Gukurahundi massacres targeting the Ndebele people in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces in the early 1980s.

"To end violence we must encourage our children to join the army, to join CIO and police. I saw that in Zululand," Sibanda said.

"Zulus did not want to be soldiers and (Mangosuthu) Gatsha Buthelezi told them that is why they were being wiped away through killings. Now they are joining the army in numbers and if any member of the army tries to kill a Zulu, they threaten to kill that person."

Sibanda also revealed that the CCC would be releasing its manifesto in due course, adding that pre-empting it now would alert the opponents on his party's strategies.

On the candidates' selection, Sibanda said they were not yet through with the process.

"We have to go to nomination, vetting, conscientiousness, agreement and then announcement of candidates by the party, but for now I know some of the candidates in rural areas but I will not identify them as they might be attacked and have their homes burnt even before we win elections," he said.

"We will have a strategy that is very secretive, maybe, we will deliberately delay to announce candidates and I cannot pre-empt it now, we will wait for the right time."

Magugu revealed that Zapu president Sibangilizwe Nkomo will be the party's presidential candidate in the forthcoming election. Sibangilizwe is late former Vice President Joshua Nkomo's son.

"With a Zapu government under the astute leadership of Nkomo, you are guaranteed development in Nkayi in areas such as economic and infrastructure development.

"As Zapu we have unfinished business since the establishment of the party. We went to war, we fought whites, but we did not rule the country and you know what happened," he said.

FA deputy leader Ngulube said her organisation was formed through a coalition of many parties, civic groups and individuals after realising that Matabeleland was being marginalised in terms of development.