Within the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, four factions are embroiled in a fierce battle over the allocation of funds disbursed by the government under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.
Sengezo Tshabangu, Jameson Timba, Promise Mkwananzi, and Welshman Ncube have each individually petitioned Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, seeking the direct deposit of funds into their respective bank accounts.
All four individuals assert their legitimacy as leaders of the opposition political party, each vying for recognition and control.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Minister Ziyambi said the opposition’s share of funds will only be allocated to the legitimate CCC representatives. Said Ziyambi:
ZANU PF has already written to us, and everything is clear. However, there is confusion in the CCC camp.
There are a lot of letters coming from the CCC, so we said to them we cannot give them the money when we do not know the legitimate representative of the party.
So, we believe they will sort themselves out or even in the courts if need be.
If they do not, we will withhold their funds; these are public funds, and we cannot just give them to anyone.
So, we will release the amount that is due to ZANU PF and withhold what is due to them until they sort themselves out.
I have received four letters from the CCC. I saw four separate letters from Timba, Tshabangu, the now acting president (Prof Ncube) and Promise Mkwananzi, who all purported to be representing someone.
All these letters have not been withdrawn, so we are waiting for them to do the correct thing.
Minister Ziyambi said that his Ministry is yet to receive the funds from the Ministry of Finance.
He added that the funds will be allocated according to the number of seats the party got soon after the elections. Said Ziyambi:
So, for example, if the opposition got 25 per cent of the seats, they will get 25 per cent of the total amount of funds.
Under the provisions of the Political Parties (Finance) Act, only ZANU PF and the CCC are eligible to receive a share of the funding.
Political parties that secure at least 5% of the total votes cast in the general election qualify for State funding.
The share allocated to each party is directly proportional to the number of National Assembly seats they secured in the previous election.
In the 2023 harmonized elections, ZANU PF emerged victorious with 136 National Assembly seats, while the CCC managed to secure 73 seats.
In January, CCC leader Nelson Chamisa quit the party after State institutions such as the courts and parliament refused to recognise his authority, and instead, gave control of the party to Sengezo Tshabangu who claimed to be the party’s interim secretary general.
