The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
WHEN members of the media asked prospective Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Councillor Mr David Coltart for an update on when their party’s candidates would submit their party list to the Nomination Court last Wednesday, he said they would do so at 2pm.
The clock at the Bulawayo Large City Hall fell silent and stopped telling time a long time ago but by everyone’s watch, it was now past midday. The CCC, it seemed, was cutting it fine, as the Nomination Court was set to stop taking submissions at 4pm. When prodded to shed further light on why the party was embarking on what looked like a clear case of self-sabotage, a smiling Mr Coltart curtly said: “We have our reasons, believe me. We have our reasons.”
That reply did little to quench the thirst of journalists that had gathered to cover proceedings at the City Hall and as the news was passed on various media platforms, it did even less to ease the anxiety of CCC supporters who not only did not know the identity of their representatives, but were now increasingly doubtful of whether their party would be on the ballot for the 23 August plebiscite.
A clear and beautiful sky greeted political aspirants from across Bulawayo on Wednesday morning but at City Hall and Bulawayo Magistrate Court at Tredgold Building, thickening clouds of uncertainty hovered over the fortunes of CCC candidates, as a party that has positioned itself as a challenger to an increasingly strong Zanu-PF seemed set to drop the baton before the race had even started.
Some among those on the ground questioned why, if the party had always planned to submit its papers at 2pm, CCC leaders in the city like Mr Coltart had arrived as early as 9am, an hour before the Nomination Court was due to sit. While the prospective candidates also began milling around the City Hall between 9am and 10am, few seemed to have a clue about when the party would bring its list as required.
In fact, whispers among both candidates and supporters were that none of those gathered truly knew whether their names would actually be thrown into the ring for battle on 23 August. So secretive was the process used to select the final candidates that both the victors and the vanquished did not know their fate even at the 11th hour.
This, Sunday News was told by CCC members that were willing to speak in hushed tones on the sidelines, was to make sure that the party avoided “infiltration”. However, as the minutes ticked towards the closing of the Nomination Court, there was a distinct feeling even among the party faithfuls that CCC was running away from its own shadow and allowing paranoia to engulf a process that Zimbabweans have seen unfold without drama for the past 43 years.
Why this particular election was now the subject of so many cloak and dagger plots and subplots seemed to confound even some of CCC’s own supporters and led credence to critics who allege that what is now meant to be the country’s main opposition party is a rudderless ship.
When the nomination process began at 10am, a group of prospective nominees had gathered in a large group at the City Hall, engulfed by a jovial mood as they hoped that their papers would be filed on time and the business of campaigning for the election would then begin in earnest.
However, by 2pm, at the City Hall, the initial excitement had turned into worry, then outright frustration and anger as 3pm approached. Perhaps the sight of their Zanu-PF opponents filing their papers in a timely and orderly fashion did little to quell their discontent. A wily and experienced campaigner, Zanu-PF was always going to be a difficult opponent for the country’s fractured opposition parties.
However, even strategists at Zanu-PF Headquarters could not be asked for a better Public Relations gift than the opposition’s state of disarray on Wednesday.
The CCC’s party lists arrived at approximately 3pm, much to the relief of those whose political fortunes now seemed to be hanging by a thread. However, the arrival of the lists was only a prelude to the next episode of the nomination day drama.
At the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court where aspiring Parliamentarians papers were filed, there was despondency and outright mutiny as some that had been told they would be on Parliament, Senatorial or proportional representational lists, suddenly found their names missing as the crunch hour drew closer.
While some aimed their anger at party leader, Mr Nelson Chamisa, others had a few choice words for his so-called blue-eyed boy in Bulawayo, Mr Ostallos Siziba, claiming he had manipulated lists according to his whim. Others aimed their ire at nearer foes, with one woman questioning why Ms Siphiwe Ncube appeared on the list.
“I was told that I was on the list. I was actually on the list from Harare and I came here and thought everything would go as planned. Now we have people who are changing the names on the list from inside here. We now have the likes of Siphiwe. They have been in Senate for the last 20 years but yet they still want to continue,” said the unidentified woman who was caught on camera by Sunday News.
In Masvingo, Mayor Collen Maboke threw a salvo at the party leadership for imposing candidates, indicating that he had filed his papers to contest as an independent in the race for Masvingo Urban constituency. Member of the National Assembly member for Entumbane-Emakhandeni now Entumbane-Njube in Bulawayo, Dingilizwe Tshuma said he won the primary elections, but Mr Chamisa imposed Mr Prince Dube as the candidate. He then filed his papers as an independent candidate. So disorganised was the party that it had double and triple candidates in many wards and constituencies, as some members revolted against the leadership for what they termed were dictatorial tendencies.
Meanwhile back at the City Hall, it was a sad sight as observers watched prospective councillors, some of them elderly, on all fours as they sought to arrange their papers for final submissions. Given that submissions were made so late, it was inevitable that there would be a few glitches and many could be seen scrambling back and forth as they tried to get their houses in order as the clock ticked past midnight. When the long night was over, the ruling party was the ultimate winner.
At the Chipinge rally yesterday the Zanu-PF Political Commissar, Dr Mike Bimha revealed the ruling party clinched 74 wards uncontested as the opposition failed to field candidates before the Nomination Court closed.
