THE ruling Zanu PF splurged $3,5 million on the just-ended
17th annual people’s jamboree held at Umzingwane High School in the farming
town of Esigodini, while the party received $23,5 million in donations this
year.
Zanu PF also got slightly above $5 million in a grant from
government. According to a central committee report, the $3,5 million was
mainly used for transport, accommodation and catering.
The largest chunk of Zanu PF’s 2018 revenue was used to
fund election-related expenses — with $26 million used to acquire top-of-the-range
vehicles for the campaign. The remainder was in administrative expenses.
In the report, Zanu PF also revealed that this year’s
election campaign was the most funded in the history of the party since
independence.
“They were the most highly funded elections since
attainment of independence, and as a result, the party won overwhelmingly by
more than two-thirds majority in Parliament. The party successfully raised
resources to fund the 2018 harmonised election campaigns, albeit it still runs
on overdraft to sustain the administrative expenses,” read the report.
According to the report, almost $5 million was spent on
salaries.
The party also revealed that it would spend a lot of money
to boost the security department to guard against infiltration by perceived
enemies. “As the party focuses on the economy than politics, and in pursuit of
his Excellency the President’s (Emmerson Mnangagwa) vision of making Zimbabwe
an upper-middle income economy by 2030, it is prudent that national security
maintains a peaceful environment to enable that economic development,” the
report read.
“The party’s security departments need to be activated,
strengthened and conscientised on their roles to ensure that infiltration of
the party at all levels is monitored and exposed. This is so since Zanu PF has
always had numerous enemies always operating within its structures. In
addition, vigilance needs to be maintained. Physical security at party offices
needs to be improved to avoid property being damaged and people being injured.”
Zanu PF lost property at its Harare provincial
headquarters, including cars that were set alight, in the violent August 1
protests.
Meanwhile, the party said it was on the lookout for errant
non-governmental organisations, claiming some are bent on soiling their
administration.
Last week, acting Labour and Social Welfare minister
Kazembe Kazembe said the State was cautioning NGOs allegedly dabbling in
politics, saying they must stick to their mandate or risk deregistration.
Zimbabwe has had a love-hate relationship with NGOs since
the era of former President Robert Mugabe’s brutal 37-year rule, who frequently
de-registered them, amid accusations of supporting the rival MDC party, while
ironically relying on them for food aid and maintenance of social services
which his broke government could not do without. Newsday
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