Chamisa: “No Regrets” Over Walking Away, and a Movement Being Built “Quietly”

Story By Staff Reporter

Nelson Chamisa has been busy on social media, defending his exit from the opposition parties he once led, attacking the state of the nation and promising a new movement. Taken together, his posts suggest he sees the current moment as a long struggle rather than a collapse.

“No regrets”

In his latest Facebook post, Chamisa said he becomes “more convinced” each day that stepping aside and walking away from the “rottenness” within CCC/MDCA was the right decision. He said his conscience is clear, his vision is “sharper than ever,” and the mission is “greater than any political party.” His closing line was “A citizens government in our lifetime!”

His account of that exit has grown more combative. He quit the CCC after the 2023 elections, in which Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term, saying ZANU-PF had taken over the party. Last year he called leaving the MDC and CCC the best decision of his leadership journey and a way to teach Mnangagwa a lesson. He has since described the CCC as “kids’ play.”

“A distracted nation”

In a separate post, Chamisa describes the annual “State of the Nation” as a show of deception and pretence, with ruling-party loyalists reciting words they themselves do not seem to believe. He says critics missed the point when he tweeted #NoTo2050. In his telling, he was warning against normalising the indefinite extension of political power and weakening citizens’ right to choose their leaders.

He argues that Zimbabwe’s crisis is not just a one-party-state problem but a “one-man-state” problem, running from Ian Smith through Robert Mugabe to Mnangagwa. The answer, he says, is strong institutions rather than strong men, and constitutionalism rather than individualism.

That argument lands in the middle of a live dispute. Mnangagwa has signed the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026, moving the next elections from 2028 to 2030 and extending the terms of the president, MPs and councillors. ZANU-PF says this merely “elongates” the electoral cycle. Opponents counter that the constitution bars term-limit changes that benefit an incumbent. Opposition parties have taken the matter to the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, ZANU-PF’s Harare provincial chairperson has said his province wants to keep Mnangagwa as party leader until 2037.

In another post, under the hashtag #JustImagine, Chamisa asked what the United States would look like if every president had made his own birthday a public holiday. He said the country would be celebrating presidents instead of pursuing national goals. He did not name anyone in Zimbabwe in that post, but ended by saying the country needs “a new direction.”

“Building silently”

His most pointed message is about the movement he has promised. He says “the New Citizens Movement” is taking shape “quietly, steadily, deliberately, everywhere,” with “no noise” and “no mistakes.” He admits that what is being built may not yet be visible to everyone, but says it will be. He urges supporters to “play your part” and subscribe.

Sceptics will note that the project has been promised since the start of the year and has yet to materialise. Chamisa’s reply, in effect, is that visible noise is not the same as progress. It is the same message as his elephant comparison, in which real change takes longer than expected.

Lessons from 1999

Chamisa also used the anniversary of the MDC’s launch on 11 September 1999 at Rufaro Stadium to look back. He recalled that the party grew out of a consultative process, including the National Working People’s Convention in February 1999, convened by the ZCTU with more than 40 civic organisations. He said he took part representing students under ZINASU.

His main lesson is that the MDC began as a people’s movement, not a party. In his view, the mistake was shrinking it prematurely into a vehicle for parliamentary and local-authority seats, far from the original idea of delivering real change. This is the clearest explanation yet of why he now talks about a “movement” and not a party.

He also admitted how wrong the early optimism was. He said that if anyone had told the leaders at Rufaro that they would still be fighting ZANU-PF in 2026, they would have dismissed the idea. He recalled a lunchtime argument in the early days with the late musician Simon “Chopper” Chimbetu over the song “Kuti kuState House kure.” Chamisa conceded that State House has indeed been far. But he insisted it is now “just around the corner,” and that a struggle “is not a picnic.” He listed the costs: lost jobs and property, abuse, imprisonment and deaths among supporters. He ended with the vow “Until victory!”

The criticism

Critics are not persuaded. They say the early energy behind the CCC was never turned into organised pressure such as large, peaceful mass action. Some supporters admit their loyalty is to the man rather than to a detailed programme, which echoes commentator Hopewell Chin’ono’s observation that many Zimbabweans follow personalities rather than ideas. Political observers have also blamed Chamisa for the collapse of the CCC, pointing to its lack of solid structures and a constitution.

There are also open questions about unity. Some say the opposition’s leaders spend more energy proving who is the “real” leader than confronting the ruling party. Others say competition is not the problem and the real fight is with ZANU-PF. One proposal would bring fifteen to twenty groups under shared principles and a single new name. Another view has lost faith in elections and wants a mass, people-led movement.

What next?

Chamisa’s message is consistent: the struggle is long, the movement is coming, and the destination is close. What is missing is a date, a structure and a public launch. Whether his silence is strategy or delay is what Zimbabwe’s opposition will argue over until he shows his hand.