The ruling ZANU-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change are expected to receive $500 million, which will be disbursed soon in compliance with some provisions of Zimbabwe’s Political Parties (Finance) Act.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced in a government gazette that the ruling party is expected to get over $350 million and the MDC led by Douglas Mwonzora almost $150 million.
The gazette reads in part, “It is hereby notified, in terms of section 3(2) of the Political Parties (Finance) Act (Chapter 2:11), that the total amount of moneys payable to political parties in respect of the year beginning 1st January, 2022, and ending 31st December, 2022, is five hundred million Zimbabwean dollars.
“The money shall be disbursed to political parties that qualify in terms of Section 3(2) of the Act as follows: Three hundred and fifty million, one hundred and fifty thousand Zimbabwean dollars ($350,150.000) shall be paid to the Zimbabwe African Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF), which received 70.03% of the total votes casted; and one hundred and forty-nine million, eight hundred and fifty thousand Zimbabwean dollars ($149,850.000) shall be paid to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which received 29.97% of the total votes casted.”
Mwonzora’s MDC formation is already fighting for the control of the funds with the other group led by Thokozani Khupe claiming that they are now the legitimate MDC-T after the vice president “booted out” Mwonzora for aligning himself with the MDC Alliance, once led by Nelson Chamisa.
Witness Dube, publicity secretary of Mwonzora’s MDC-T, says the Khupe faction “should forget about getting this money because she is not the leader of the party.”
But Ntando Ndlovu, one of Khupe’s advisers, said, “Khupe announced on last Friday that the MDC-T has split and therefore this money should be split equally among these two groups.”- VOA
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