Speaking
at
the
Bulawayo
Media
Centre
on
Wednesday
evening,
Watson
explained
how
Tshabangu’s
actions
shifted
parliamentary
dynamics
in
Zanu
PF’s
favour,
undoing
the
CCC’s
success
in
denying
the
ruling
party
a
two-thirds
majority
in
the
2023
elections.
“Tshabangu’s
legitimacy
came
from
Zanu
PF’s
support.
The
CCC
had
blocked
a
two-thirds
majority,
but
these
recalls
gave
Zanu
PF
the
leverage
they
needed
to
pursue
their
agenda,”
Watson
said.
After
the
2023
elections,
Tshabangu
declared
himself
CCC’s
interim
secretary-general
and
began
recalling
elected
MPs,
councillors,
and
senators.
This
led
to
by-elections
that
allowed
Zanu
PF
to
regain
key
seats.
Watson
described
Tshabangu
as
a
pawn
in
a
larger
scheme
aimed
at
destabilising
the
opposition.
“Nelson
Chamisa
only
distanced
himself
from
CCC
when
it
became
clear
the
party
had
been
manipulated.
The
recalls
happened,
and
court
cases
stalled,”
she
said.
She
also
criticised
the
judiciary
for
failing
to
resolve
the
legitimacy
of
Tshabangu’s
actions.
“To
this
day,
the
courts
have
not
tested
his
legitimacy.
The
case
remains
on
summons,”
Watson
said.
Watson
alleged
the
recalls
paved
the
way
for
Zanu
PF’s
proposed
constitutional
amendments
and
criticised
a
public
show
of
unity
between
Tshabangu
and
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
during
a
farm
visit.
“The
visit
to
Mnangagwa’s
farm
was
the
final
proof.
Tshabangu
and
Zanu
PF
played
this
as
a
charade
to
present
a
false
sense
of
opposition
cooperation,”
she
said.
Watson
also
condemned
both
the
government
and
opposition
for
failing
to
deliver.
“Government
is
not
a
business;
it’s
about
serving
taxpayers.
Right
now,
neither
the
government
nor
the
opposition
is
meeting
the
people’s
needs,”
she
said.
She
questioned
the
government’s
touted
successes,
including
the
Gwayi-Shangani
Dam
and
Hwange
7
and
8
power
station
projects.
“Gwayi-Shangani
has
had
some
progress,
but
at
what
cost?
Hwange
7
and
8
were
funded
by
massive
loans
from
China.
Who
knows
the
interest
rates
or
whether
repayments
are
being
made?
Our
children
and
grandchildren
will
shoulder
this
debt,”
she
said.
Watson
pointed
to
ongoing
power
cuts
and
challenges
with
the
Zimbabwe
Electricity
Supply
Authority
(ZESA)
as
evidence
of
failure.
“We
still
face
11
to
18-hour
power
cuts.
ZESA’s
problems
remain
unsolved,”
she
said.
Watson
introduced
the
Democratic
Alternative
as
a
potential
new
movement
to
restore
democracy
following
CCC’s
fragmentation.
“CCC
as
a
democratic
vehicle
has
been
destroyed
by
Tshabangu.
The
Democratic
Alternative
is
still
in
its
early
stages,
but
Zimbabweans
deserve
true
democracy,
not
autocracy,”
she
said.
Addressing
concerns
about
her
political
alignment,
Watson
emphasized
her
commitment
to
democracy.
“If
I
wear
yellow,
some
will
think
I’m
CCC.
But
this
is
about
creating
a
platform
for
democracy,”
she
concluded.