Recalled CCC councillors and MPs barred from standing in Saturday’s by-elections after the High Court ruled that the acceptance of their nomination papers by ZEC was unlawful.

Journalist Hopewell Chin,ono had this to say:

I have just read that Sengezo Tshabangu’s application to have the recalled CCC MPs removed from the December 9 by-elections has been granted by the High Court of Zimbabwe.

It means that those re-called CCC MPs will not run in this by-election unless CCC appeals against today’s ruling, and wins that appeal against the High Court judgement.

I and many others publicly gave open advice to these recalled MPs to run as Independent candidates because any average political analyst or reader of Zimbabwean politics would have told you that there is a third hand in this case.

I am astonished by the schoolboy antics and mistakes that CCC continues to make aware of the viciousness of the enemy it is fighting.

I feel very strongly about the lack of strategy in the opposition camp, I will pen an in-depth article later today laying out my personal views about the dire implications of these mistakes.

It will be a constructive way to contribute to the political discourse analysing the situation and providing insights that will make my followers better understand the dynamics at play and the huge cost on us as citizens that is brought courtesy of the opposition’s continued un-strategic planning.

ZANUPF has a hand in all this and that should be expected, but the opposition should respond strategically and not just go into courts where could have avoided doing so by just running as Independents to outwit the regime.