Monthly Monitoring Report
January 2024
Implications of Chamisa’s withdrawal from the CCC to the Human Rights
Situation in Zimbabwe
On the 24th of January 2024, Mr Nelson Chamisa, the leader of
opposition announced his withdrawal from his party Citizens
Coalition for Change (CCC). Chamisa’s resignation comes after
massive recalls by the party’s self-claimed interim-Secretary
General, Sengenzo Tshabangu. Chamisa accused Tshabangu
of hijacking the party ‘at the behest of ZANU PF’ which
suggests a downslope towards a one-party state. The recalls of
members of parliament and local authorities led to a series of
by-elections with the latest held on the 3rd of February 2024.
In his 84-point notice of withdrawal from CCC, Chamisa called
“all citizens to rally behind fresh politics, new politics and
genuine fresh and credible leaders who want to serve and not
to be served”. The ambiguous nature of Nelson Chamisa’s
Nelson Chamisa |Source: NewZimbabwe.com
political moves and the uncertainty of his next steps after
withdrawing from CCC has put the state repressive machinery
on high alert, heightening possibilities of the proliferation of human rights violations. Partisan distribution of
food aid and inputs and intimidation of opposition political party supporters are likely to increase as a result.
The ZANU PF government is also likely to accelerate its assault on the opposition in a bid to decimate it,
further shrinking democratic space for both opposition and civil society operations. Chamisa’s withdrawal from
CCC may also result in an increase in intra-party violence as rivals jostle to fill the vacancy he left. His
withdrawal, in addition to the recalls, has resulted in continued electioneering which leads to a neglect of
service provision in local authorities. Consequently, leading to the infringement on the people’s rights to
service delivery as politicians spend more time on political campaigns and infighting.
Job Sikhala’s detention: weaponisation of the law and judicial harassment
In a long fight for delayed justice, former Member of Parliament for Seke and
officer of the law Job Sikhala was released from prison after an incarceration of
over 595 days. Job Sikhala was arrested on the 14th of June 2022 in
Chitungwiza on charges of inciting public violence following protests over the
murder of Moreblessing Ali, a CCC supporter. Ali’s mutilated body had been
found on June 11, 2022. Sikhala’s several applications for bail while awaiting
trial were denied, extending his detention at Chikurubi Maximum Prison where
his family and legal representatives were occasionally denied access. The denial
of more than 10 bail applications, where the law and the facts required that bail
be granted, suggests a wanton disregard for the right to not to be detained
without trial as enshrined in Section 49 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. On
January 30 Job Sikhala and his co-accused Godfrey Sithole were sentenced to
two years in prison and the sentences were wholly suspended for five years. In
the context of the 2022 Electoral Amendment Bill currently before parliament,
Job Sikhala faces a risk of being denied a chance to run for any public office.
The bill would prevent people convicted of some offences, including dishonesty,
misinformation, and involvement in public violence, from being nominated for
election. The ruling party has been accused of weaponizing the law and judicial
harassment to deter the work of human rights defenders and opposition political
party activists and supporters.
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