By Correspondent
The sight of Nelson Chamisa at Harvest House addressing a wave of supporters just after he assumed power is one that electrifies any politician with orgasmic thralls.
It’s the stuff of political wet dreams.
However, the journey since then was very much in keeping with the motif of copulation as everything gradually dissipated into lethargy.
Khupe emerged, then Mwonzora until Chamisa had to develop new ideas.
New Party
Fast forward to January 2022, he forms a new political party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), and with it discarded all forms of the old oppposition template.
The structure and form of the new opposition has been a matter of arguments.
Whether it’s a coherent plan to survive the ruling ZANU PF or a jumbled mess for a new egomaniac.
Throw in Chamisa’s strident voice streaking over the heaving rally masses with outrageous promises and you have the latter.
However, when one considers the coherence and measured pace with which the party has moved since formation it begins to take a logical form.
Old Party, New Tactics
This is indeed an opposition coming with a new strategy.
He describes it himself:
“They have localised violence to make sure that they will stop me. I want to say to ZANU PF, I will go anywhere, and everywhere, you will not stop me.
“I have been telling people that if they want to kill you for T-shirts, don’t worry about them. Let’s go Operation Mango — yellow outside, green inside. Why?
“To preserve yourselves. Be ZANU in their slogan, be ZANU PF wherever you are going, but show and maintain your integrity to support the change.
Chamisa has been “emerging” all over the country and holding sudden “rallies” at funerals, at shopping centres and people’s homes.
The formal pattern, requiring police clearances has clearly failed.
This week the party finally unveiled how it will select its candidates for the 2023 elections.
It has been known that the model is called consensus candidate selection model.
However, not many have understood how that works.
Snaring The Crocodile
CCC interim deputy spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba, says, “Ours is a totally different selection process as we are involving some of the people that are normally excluded from the selection process.
We are talking about teachers, chiefs, nurses and other stakeholders.
“This is a deep-rooted democratic process that involves citizens.
“People are choosing their own representatives who will contest the council, parliamentary and presidential elections.
“We are a citizens movement driven by local people.
“Chamisa has since revealed list of requirements for those who want to represent the party.
This includes educational standards which is a first in local politics.
Traditionally popularity has been the main ingredient as all that parties want is a winning formula.
CCC’s new model makes for ruminative smiles that maybe this new model may work after over two decades of being opposition.
The ruling ZANU PF has derided the opposition for lack of structures which it considers as a lack of order.
However, after two decades of structures and losses in opposition trenches, it may be time for some guerilla models.