A pro-Nelson Chamisa faction within the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has submitted an urgent application to the chamber seeking to block the disbursement of funds under the Political Parties (Finance) Act to Singiso Chabangu or any other individual.
The application to the Supreme Court seeks to prevent the Ministers of Justice and Finance from releasing the Z22 million allocated to the CCC after the general elections in August 2023 following the publication of the Government Gazette on 6 September 2024 clarifying the qualifications of politicians. Parties will receive under the Political Parties (Finance) Act (Chapter 2:11).
This dispute centers on Chabangu’s claim to be interim Secretary-General of the CPC, a position the party opposes, further complicating the ongoing internal leadership struggle.
Chabangu’s actions, including recalling elected members of parliament, have led to multiple lawsuits.
The CCC, which has attached its constitution said to have been adopted by the National Assembly of Citizens on February 22, 2022, says disbursing funds to Chabangu without resolving the issue of his legitimacy could cause irreparable harm.
The party’s request stresses that funds should only be released to its legitimate leadership. However, Chabangu’s legal advisor expressed opposition to the CCC’s request to block the disbursement of political funds, saying the funds are intended for the political party and not individuals.
The first applicant in the Chamber’s urgent application is the CCC, which says it is a political party capable of litigating and being sued in its own name.
The second applicant, Youngerson Mateti, is a registered voter and taxpayer. Who claims to have a legitimate interest in who receives money owed under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.
The first respondent is referred to as the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (Zyambi Ziyambi) who is responsible for the disbursement of funds owed to political parties under the Political Parties (Finance) Act (Chapter 11:2).
The second respondent is the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion (Professor Mthuli Ncube) who is responsible for allocating funds to ministries in relation to the national budget.
The money to be paid to political parties as announced by the Minister of Justice comes from the Minister of Finance.
The third defendant is Chabangu, who CCC said allegedly claimed money supposedly disbursed to the political party.
According to the CCC, Chabangu’s actions, including withdrawing elected members of parliament, were unauthorized and led to court cases.
“Chabangu’s right and authority to represent the CCC and do anything on its behalf has been challenged. There are two issues before the court regarding this challenge. It is only fair that the disbursement of funds owed to the CCC be temporarily suspended pending the resolution of case No. HC 7321/23 and HCH 6872/23,” the CCC said.
“If the money is disbursed to Chabangu… Or for anyone other than CCC there is no way to recover it.
The Community Coordination Committee also highlighted the urgency of the matter, fearing that the ministry would disburse the funds at any moment.
The request stressed the need to stop the disbursement until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of Chabangu’s position within the party.
In its application, the CCC reiterated that only the Chamisa-led party during the 2023 elections is entitled to the funds.
However, Chamisa resigned from the CCC early this year.
They accused Chabangu of exploiting political confusion to demand control of the party’s finances, saying: “Chabangu has no capacity to represent the CCC in any capacity.”
The party is seeking to obtain a court order to freeze the disbursement of funds until the ongoing legal issues are resolved.
In an interview with CITE, Chabangu’s legal representative, Nkobani Sithole of Ncube Advocates, objected to the urgent application by the CCC to block the disbursement of funds under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.
Sithole stressed that the money was intended for political institutions and not individuals.
“It would be a travesty of justice for this matter to be heard on merit, really. There is no place in this country where this money can be distributed to an individual or an office holder in an organisation,” Sithole said.
Sithole explained that the Political Parties (Finance) Act stipulated that funds be disbursed to the institution – the political party – and not to any specific office holder, whether a vice president or an official.
He added: “Any assumption that an individual, whether in his personal capacity or in his official position, will receive any amount, with respect, does not deserve the attention intended.”
Sithole also noted that signing authority or access to funds is determined by the bank’s registered signatories, not individual office holders.
“The signature does not depend on individuals or officials; He said that he relies on the signatories in the bank, and added that he “is not aware of how the signatories are structured because this information is confidential.” Site
