It’s an astonishing story of political intrigue: a man called Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the Secretary General of Zimbabwe’s opposition party – the Citizens Coalition for Change, or the CCC, has been issuing recall letters, which say they are no longer members of the party – and getting opposition MPs barred from parliament. At the time of recording, 32 MPs have lost their seats. Some already face re-election battles in December.
But the opposition MPs say they have no idea who he is – and that he definitely isn’t their Secretary General. So who is this person? And how is he gradually dismantling the opposition party in Zimbabwe’s Parliament?
Alan Kasujja has been talking to Zimbabwean journalist Ish Mafundikwa, as well as one of the MPs affected, Gift Ostallos Siziba, the CCC’s Deputy National Spokesperson.