Chamisa takes new political campaign to UK Diaspora

Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa is set to begin a consultation tour of the United Kingdom this week as he seeks to build support for a new political movement among Zimbabweans living abroad.

The tour comes as the 180-day timeline Chamisa outlined earlier this year for laying the groundwork for his proposed movement under "Agenda 2026" reaches its conclusion.

Chamisa resigned as CCC leader in January 2024, alleging that the party had been infiltrated, and has since embarked on consultations aimed at establishing a replacement political platform.

On January 23 this year, he announced what he described as "the immediate agenda"—a six-month programme focused on legal and institutional preparations, citizen engagement and grassroots mobilisation ahead of launching a new movement.

The United Kingdom leg of the consultations will begin this week with meetings scheduled in London on Thursday, Manchester on Friday and Corby on Sunday.

In a statement addressed to "Fellow Zimbabwean Citizens in the United Kingdom," Chamisa said the visit forms part of a broader "Diaspora Citizens Consultation, Engagement and Listening Tour."

"This tour is an opportunity to hear your perspectives, engage on the challenges and opportunities facing our nation, and strengthen the vital partnership between Zimbabwe and its diaspora," Chamisa said.

His office said the proposed political movement would be shaped through consultations with citizens both inside and outside Zimbabwe.

According to the statement, the movement is "born out of listening" and "born out of engagement," and is founded on the belief that citizens should determine the country's future.

"With close to five million citizens living beyond our borders, the diaspora is not a peripheral constituency. It is an integral part of our nation," the statement reads.

Chamisa's office also renewed calls for Zimbabweans living abroad to be granted the right to vote, arguing that the diaspora plays a critical role in the country's economy through remittances.

"For too long, the old order has welcomed billions in diaspora remittances while denying those same citizens the fundamental democratic right to vote. The New rejects that contradiction," the statement said.

The statement added that the consultation tour seeks to affirm the diaspora's role in shaping Zimbabwe's future.

"[The tour] affirms the diaspora's rightful place in shaping Zimbabwe's future," the statement said, adding that "no border should bar any citizen from the New."

The UK engagements are expected to provide Chamisa with an opportunity to outline his vision for the proposed movement while gathering feedback from Zimbabweans living abroad as he prepares for the next phase of his political project.