Mnangagwa's govt looking for ways to punish Chamisa's MPs

In response to the boycott of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's State-of-the-Nation address by the Nelson Chamisa Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the government is considering potential actions under the Political Parties (Finance) Act to penalize the opposition.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who also serves as the leader of government business in the National Assembly, has stated that he is examining the Political Parties (Finance) Act to find ways to sanction the CCC for boycotting President Mnangagwa's State of the Nation Address (Sona).

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda reportedly suggested this course of action to Minister Ziyambi. Mudenda also indicated that Members of Parliament (MPs) who had reserved hotel rooms in anticipation of Sona but chose not to attend Mnangagwa's address would be required to cover the accommodation costs and would be denied fuel coupons.

The CCC's decision to boycott President Mnangagwa's SONA is rooted in their belief that he is an illegitimate leader who secured his position through electoral fraud in the recent election. CCC Parliamentary Chief Whip Amos Chibaya explained their stance, saying, "We are not attending Mnangagwa's state-of-the-nation address today because we view him as an illegitimate leader who was fraudulently elected through manipulation. He is a product of an election in which there was massive voter suppression in urban areas, disenfranchisement, and illegal intervention in the electoral process by FAZ, a Zimbabwean intelligence-run securocratic outfit which managed the elections. We can't attend parliament to listen to an illegitimate leader speaking to people who didn't elect him constitutionally and lawfully."

It's worth noting that Zimbabwe's election results were widely contested by numerous election observer missions, including the Southern African Development Community's mission.