Zimbabwe Opposition Update: Promise Mkwananzi's Denial, Factional Struggles, And Sikhala's Release

Brighton Mutebuka, a Zimbabwean lawyer based in the UK, has provided an update on the purported ascendancy of Promise Mkwananzi to the post of acting President within Zimbabwe’s opposition movement. He stated that Mkwananzi denied being captured by the regime and stated that there were no genuine warrants against him. He said:

Promise was in touch yesterday following my post. He protested against any insinuation that he might have been captured by the regime. These are his exact words: ” …. you could have just asked about the warrants and I would have gladly answered you. There was never a genuine warrant against me that time. It was just a way to derail my political activity.”

He also assured me that his ascendancy was above board and in the best interests of CCC in its unadulterated form while I also made it clear to him that I would seek corroboration from other parties as well.

Mutebuka said he attempted to communicate with Promise but received no response. He said:

When I later sought to afford him an opportunity to address the above issues, they were blue ticked meaning he read my messages but they went unanswered. I tried to call him but the call went unanswered. I finally sent him a text asking him to let me know when he would be free to have a chat. That was also blue ticked but not responded to.

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Mutebuka mentioned that he learned from Mkawananzi’s colleagues that when he declared himself as acting president of CCC, it was not his own idea. Others approached him to protect the interests of the remaining members of CCC. The situation changed during a recent CNA meeting, where Mr. Timba took over from Promise to safeguard those interests. They acknowledged that their current actions would involve engaging in strategic political moves with the regime. Mutebuka added: 

Key Takeaways

i. Promise was not representing Chamisa’s interests yesterday. His ascendancy was in line with the fluidity of the situation.

ii. Credible reports suggest that there is now a 4-way tussle for the control of the CCC shell/carcass fronted by Timba, Hwende, Ncube and Tshabangu.

iii. Credible reports from his colleagues suggest that Promise indeed does have connections in the murky world of the regime’s security establishment.

iv. The reports further highlighted that, owing to those connections, he has created uncertainty in Hwende’s camp & others that he could be empowered to wield recalls and by association have a shot at earning funding from the Political Parties’ Finance Act.

v. In short, all factions are rudderless, working at cross purposes and hopelessly at the mercy of the regime’s machinations. They hope to have a share of the assets but – that is the regime’s prerogative.

vi. It was telling that Promise was unable to either return my calls or provide a compelling account of how his warrants of arrest were overlooked by the regime. His explanation was as convenient as it was superficial/implausible. He was too eager to hush it up.

vii. He has thus failed the credibility/probity test. Warrants aren’t just cancelled, even when they are bogus, especially by a regime such as the Zim one. There is a legal/administrative process that is followed.

viii. Tshabangu’s reign of terror has effectively come to an end but not without wreaking havoc on Zim’s body politic unseen in generations and perhaps not to be seen in our lifetime.

ix. Via Tshabangu, ED has his two-thirds in sight while Nelson Chamisa has been forced out of office. It is Chamisa’s exit which has helped to smoothen/unlock/accelerate processes surrounding the release of the long-suffering Job “Wiwa” Sikhala.

x. CCC is dead. A new project is required which reflects on and addresses the cause of it’s demise. Those left in CCC now trying to resuscitate it are flogging a dead horse – regardless of the sincerity of their belief in how just they think their cause is.

Mutebuka concludes that the regime has successfully manipulated the opposition, causing them to fight amongst themselves for power, similar to a polygamous marriage where attention is sought.

Sihkala’s Release

The impact of Sikhala’s release on the political landscape remains uncertain, as political figures like him are not typically released easily. Such a release can only happen with the approval of the political establishment, likely through a high-stakes arrangement on the political chessboard. Mutebuka believes that any such arrangement will not benefit the opposition, and the involvement of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyer and Tshabangu’s team signifies this. Mutebuka says the timing and circumstances of Wiwa’s release are too conspicuous to be irrelevant, indicating a trade-off or political transaction behind the scenes. The nature of this trade-off will be revealed in due time.

Mutebuka suggests that Job’s release coinciding with Chamisa’s forced removal from CCC is too much of a political coincidence. The future will show whether their political paths will align or diverge. He says currently, the regime is moving closer to establishing a one-party state, gaining more control over the political landscape. Mutebuka urges Sikhala not to betray the people. 

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