When distributing budgeted funds to political parties, where Zanu PF and the UPC are eligible, the government will be guided by the law and even the courts if UPC factions need to fight over who will get the money, a Cabinet minister said. He said.
The Treasury has over the years allocated funds to political parties eligible to receive government funding under the Political Parties and Finance Act.
While Zanu PF and CCC are the eligible parties this year, a dispute has recently arisen between who is the legitimate representative of the CCC between its interim Secretary-General, Singinzo Chabangu, and another rival camp led by Mr. Nelson Chamisa.
Since the party does not have a proper structure, there can be disagreements about where political funding should go.
Chabangu has since written to Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi saying he was the one entitled to the funds, while Mr Chamisa sought to assert his authority over the party.
Chabangu summoned several members of Parliament and advisors after Parliament refused to interfere in the opposition party’s internal squabbles.
The Chamisa-led faction sought to discredit Chabangu, saying he was a fraud, sparking a fierce legal battle before the Supreme Court.
By-elections have since been held and another by-election is scheduled for next month after Chabangu summoned several lawmakers and councillors.
Minister Ziyambi said in an interview that the government will be guided by what the law stipulates regarding the distribution of funds.
“Political parties can be identified in Parliament.
“We have Zanu PF and CCC, so in this process we will publish in the Official Gazette the amount allocated and what each party is entitled to. We will then ask the authorized representatives of the said parties to provide the names and account numbers where the money will be deposited,” Minister Ziyambi said.
If there is more than one receiving name and account from any political party claiming to be the legitimate representative of the organization, the government will not take sides and will allow the CCC to fix or settle the issue in court among themselves, and then the government will follow whatever the court orders.
“We will not release funds if there are disputes, but we will allow them to fix their problems. “If that means they will go to court, we will abide by whatever the court has ruled,” Minister Ziyambi said.
The funds are disbursed based on the percentage of votes obtained by the two parties in the coordinated elections that took place on August 23, 2023.
For a political party to qualify, it must receive at least five percent of the vote in the general election, which is why only two of the competing parties qualified.
The government passed the Political Party Financing Law after it emerged that some opposition parties were receiving funding from foreign governments and organizations as part of covert operations to achieve regime change.
Political parties can now obtain legal funding through government grants under the law, the sale of party cards, fundraising activities, and from their own members.
The government has since published in the Official Gazette the Private Voluntary Organizations Amendment Bill which prohibits NGOs from campaigning for political parties or candidates, from financing them and from being a conduit for funds.
This law came after it was found that civil society and non-governmental organizations are being used as channels for illegal activities by some political parties and hostile foreign agencies. Announce
