Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa has written to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to have Sengezo Tshabangu barred from using his face image.
Tshabangu, a CCC activist originally from Matabeleland North Province, claims to be the party’s interim secretary general and has recalled scores of the party’s Members of Parliament and councillors, saying they ceased to be CCC members.
On Monday, 18 December, Tshabangu endorsed his candidates to run for the 03 February by-elections using CCC symbols which include Chamisa’s face.
In a letter addressed to ZEC, Chamisa through his lawyers said the use of party symbols by individuals whom he did not authorise is illegal. He wrote:
We act for and on behalf of Advocate Nelson Chamisa, at whose instance we write. Kindly note our professional interest.
Our client is the president of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change political party formed on 22 January 2022.
We are advised that in June 2023, he gave consent to specific candidates from the political party he leads, to use his face image as a logo in the harmonized elections held between 23 and 24 August 2023.
Those who were granted permission to use the image of his face had their nomination papers, as more fully appear in your records, signed by the names appearing in a letter dated 15 June 2023 and received by yourselves on the same day.
A copy of the said letter is attached hereto for your case of reference.
We are advised that some individuals, other than the individuals mentioned above, have resorted to misappropriation of the image of our client’s face for purposes of misrepresenting and misleading the electorate. We advise that this is illegal.
Chamisa and his supporters argue that Tshabangu is an imposter adding that the post of secretay general does not exist in the party.
Since the formation of CCC on 22 January 2022, Chamisa has reportedly fallen out with his colleagues in the MDC Alliance party.
These include Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, Job Sikhala, and Chalton Hwende.
Chamisa is accused of personalising CCC and exhibiting dictatorial tendencies as well as sidelining long-serving party stalwarts in favour of former student leaders who are not a threat to his position.
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