Tshabangu Defies Welshman Ncube
Sengezo Tshabangu, the “interim secretary general” of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has rejected his suspension by Acting party President Welshman Ncube.
Tshabangu, who dismissed dozens of CCC legislators after the 2023 general elections and installed himself and his colleagues in the Senate, argued that Ncube is merely an ordinary party member without the authority to make such leadership decisions.
Tshabangu’s suspension was announced shortly after a High Court ruling against him on Wednesday. The ruling, delivered on January 8, 2025, by Judge Justice Neville Wamambo in case HCH 5606/24, barred Tshabangu from making changes to the party’s parliamentary leadership.
The ruling followed an urgent application filed by Ncube, who contended that Tshabangu lacked the authority to reassign Members of Parliament and accused him of backdoor recalls.
Justice Wamambo noted that Ncube’s application relied on an earlier High Court case, HC 6872/23, where Justice Tawanda Chitapi had declared Tshabangu’s recall actions “unlawful and invalid.”
Following the ruling, Ncube swiftly moved to suspend Tshabangu, accusing him of violating the party’s constitution.
However, in an interview with CITE, Tshabangu’s legal representative, Nqobani Sithole, said they had received no formal communication about the suspension. Sithole remarked:
What I know is there is a legal opinion that we communicated with the party to the extent that there is no president in the meantime because Prof Ncube’s term of office expired.
Sithole said they had conveyed a “very comprehensive and well-reasoned opinion” to the CCC, asserting that Ncube is not the party president. He added:
Welshman was also included when we communicated. He is not the acting president but masquerading as one.
As it stands, Tshabangu is still the secretary general of the party and leader of the opposition in Parliament for all we know.
We are going to get formal instructions but the position as we communicate it is there is no acting president.
Sithole said that Ncube was initially appointed in February 2024 to serve as the party president on a rotational basis for three months. He said:
The rotation never happened and the five years for holding the party’s congress have expired and surely he cannot all by himself purport to continue in contravention of their own constitution.
It is not a wise idea to purport to suspend somebody whilst you are also limping in terms of your position. His standing is limping.
Sithole also said they are planning to appeal Justice Wamambo’s High Court ruling at the Supreme Court. He said:
We have been instructed to appeal the High Court ruling. There are certain internal issues being attended to and soon after that we will be given the green light to proceed with our client that is CCC has advised that an appeal should be filed at the Supreme Court.
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