Who are Zimbabwe main opposition party Citizens Convergence for Change (CCC)’s top 5 leaders?

Zimbabwe’s current main opposition party Citizens Convergence for Change (CCC)’s top 3 leaders have interesting political career. For over a 3 decades, Zimbabwe’s main opposition was Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Upon his death in 2018, the MDC collapsed giving birth to several political parties including MDC – T and CCC among others. Among all those political parties, CCC under the leadership of Advocate Nelson is the most prominent and a serious contender in the coming 2023 General elections.

CCC’s top 5 leaders that you need to know

5. Thokozani Khupe (Senior Member)

Thokozani Khupe is a Zimbabwean politician who has been actively involved in politics since the late 1990s. She was elected to the House of Assembly in 2000 and became a member of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 2002. She has since held several senior positions within the MDC, including Deputy President of the party.

In 2008, Khupe was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in a unity government with Robert Mugabe. She resigned from the position in 2013 after the MDC split into two factions and she joined the MDC-T (renamed the MDC Alliance in 2018). Khupe was also the Interim President of the MDC-T from 2014-2016, and served as Acting President of the MDC Alliance from 2018-2019.

In addition to her political career, Khupe has been a member of the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe since 2000, and she has also served on the Constitutional Assembly of Zimbabwe since 2013. She was appointed as a Senator in 2018, and was elected as the Member of Parliament for Makokoba in 2019.

After spliting with others when MDC broke down, Khupe later joined CCC under the leadership of Nelson Chamisa  but she is only a card carying member.

4. Fadzai Mahere (CCC party Spokesperson)

Fadzai Mahere is a Zimbabwean lawyer, activist and politician. She is a member and spokesperson of the CCC and is the former Member of Parliament for Mt Pleasant.

Mahere was born in 1987 in Harare, Zimbabwe. She studied law at the University of Zimbabwe and holds a Master’s Degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.

Mahere first entered public office in 2018 when she became the Member of Parliament for Mt Pleasant. She was reelected in the 2018 Zimbabwean general election and was appointed the shadow minister for Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.

Mahere is a vocal advocate for human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. She has been a vocal critic of the Zimbabwean government and its proposed amendments to the Constitution. She was arrested in 2019 for taking part in a peaceful protest against the government.

Mahere is also a strong believer in the need for women to be represented in leadership positions. She has spoken out in support of women’s rights and empowerment and is a strong advocate for gender parity in Zimbabwe.

Mahere has also been involved in various initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Zimbabweans. She is the founder of the MDC Women’s Assembly, which advocates for the empowerment of women in Zimbabwe. She is also the co-founder of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, which is a think tank that works to promote democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe.

3. Thabitha Khumalo (Founding member of CCC)

Thabitha Khumalo is a Zimbabwean politician and a Member of Parliament for Bulawayo East. She is a member of the Citizens Convergence for Change (CCC) and she was elected in the July 2013 Zimbabwean general election.

Khumalo was born in Bulawayo and was educated at St. Johns High School. She went on to receive a diploma in Public Relations from the University of South Africa.

Khumalo began her political career in the early 2000s when she was an active member of the MDC-T. In March 2013, she was elected to the MDC-T’s National Standing Committee.

In July 2013, Khumalo was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bulawayo East, defeating the incumbent ZANU-PF candidate. She has since been actively involved in the parliament, focusing on issues of education, health and employment.

In 2017, Khumalo was elected to the MDC-T’s National Executive Committee, becoming the only female member of the committee. She was also appointed to the Gender and Youth Committee of the Parliament.

In the 2018 Zimbabwean general election, Khumalo retained her seat as MP for Bulawayo East. She was re-elected to the MDC-T’s National Executive Committee in 2019.

Khumalo is a vocal advocate for women’s rights and often speaks out against gender-based violence in Zimbabwe. She is also a strong advocate for the rights of the disabled, and was recently involved in the campaign to pass a disability bill in the parliament.

2. Tendai Biti (CCC party Vice President)

Tendai Laxton Biti is a Zimbabwean lawyer, politician and a member of the Citizens Convergence for Change (CCC) party.

Early Political Career

Biti was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change. He was elected as Secretary General of the party in 1999 and served in this position until 2009.

He was elected as a member of Parliament for Harare East in 2000 and was appointed as the Minister of Economic Planning and Investment in the unity government from 2009 to 2013. In 2013, he was re-elected to Parliament for Harare East and was appointed Minister of Finance in the same unity government.

Government Minister

In his role as Minister of Finance, Biti was responsible for the implementation of the Zimbabwean dollar, which replaced the multi-currency system in 2009. He also introduced the Zimbabwean bond notes and coins to put the Zimbabwean economy back on track.

He was also responsible for the implementation of the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution, which he helped draft. This constitution was the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, and it established a new system of government, including the election of a president and the creation of a bicameral legislature.

Biti also spearheaded the negotiation of a new economic partnership with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which saw the government of Zimbabwe receive funds and technical assistance to help stabilize the economy.

Other Achievements

Biti has also been involved in a number of other initiatives. He was appointed as the Honorary President of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which is an organization that works to promote and protect human rights in Zimbabwe. He is also a member of the Africa Union’s High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows.

In 2020, Biti was appointed as a Special Envoy to the African Union (AU) for the prevention of electoral violence. In this role, he is responsible for engaging with governments and civil society organizations to promote peaceful and democratic elections in Africa.

Biti is also a member of the International Commission on the Future of Democracy, which is an independent body of experts established by the Norwegian Government to study the future of democracy around the world.

In 2022 January he became a founding member of Zimbabwe’s main political party CCC.

1. Nelson Chamisa (CCC party president)

Nelson Chamisa is a Zimbabwean politician who is the leader of the Citizens Convergency for Change (MDC) and the main opposition to the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He was elected to the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe in 2000, representing Kuwadzana constituency. He was re-elected in 2005 and 2008.

In 2007, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Technology in the government of Morgan Tsvangirai, which was part of a power-sharing agreement between the MDC and President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party.

In 2011, he was appointed Minister of Information and Communications Technology in the unity government, a position he held until 2013. After the death of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in February 2018, Chamisa was elected as the new leader of the party.

In the 2018 presidential election, Chamisa was the MDC’s candidate, coming second to Mnangagwa. He has since led several protests against the government and has been vocal in his criticism of the government’s handling of the country’s economic and social issues.

In 2022 January, Nelson Chamisa formed the new brand CCC.