3 councillors face recall amid CCC factional wars

Three Masvingo City councillors are facing imminent recall after being accused of supporting an independent candidate linked to former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa, in a development that has once again exposed deep fractures within Zimbabwe's opposition.

Councillors Esther Zishiri, Alaica Time, and Bernad Muchokwa allegedly campaigned for Struggle Nyahunda, an independent candidate in the upcoming Ward 7 by-election, who is widely believed to be aligned with Chamisa.

The recalls are said to be driven by the camp of self-proclaimed interim CCC secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu, whose faction is backing rival independent candidate Prosper Tiringindi. The by-election has effectively become a proxy battle for control of the opposition in Masvingo.

The CCC failed to field an official candidate, a lapse that has intensified internal blame-shifting. The Tshabangu-led camp has branded the councillors' support for Nyahunda as open defiance and grounds for expulsion.

According to sources, recall letters have already been served, though the matter has not yet been formally tabled.
"This is purely a power play to show who is in charge. Their fate doesn't lie with the electorate but with the Tshabangu-led team, and here in Masvingo, that power ultimately rests with Rocky Kamuzonda," a source claimed.

The vulnerability of Zishiri and Time is heightened by their entry into council through the proportional representation quota system, making them more dependent on party structures than the electorate.
"These two are especially exposed. They weren't directly elected by voters but seconded by the party, which makes recall threats an effective weapon," the source added.

Masvingo Mayor Alec Tabe stressed that the recalls are a party issue:
"The recall of councillors is not within the jurisdiction of the local authority. This is a party process that follows its own procedures."

Kamuzonda, the CCC Masvingo Secretary for Elections alleged to have authored the recall letters, declined to comment, referring inquiries to the divided national executive.

The looming recalls underscore the turbulence rocking Zimbabwe's opposition, where recalls have become a common tool for factional purges. Under the constitution, only political parties—not voters—can recall elected officials, leaving councillors and MPs vulnerable to internal power struggles rather than accountable to citizens.

For Masvingo, the fallout threatens to weaken opposition representation in local governance, while raising concerns over the erosion of democratic accountability in favour of factional loyalty.