The money will
be distributed based on the number of seats a party got in the National
Assembly.
According to
Treasury’s blue book, which provides ultra-fine details of how money under the
Budget is spent, qualifying political parties have been allocated ZiG$170
million for this year.
For a political
party to qualify, it should have registered a five percent threshold of the
total votes cast in a general election.
This leaves
Zanu PF and CCC as the only political parties meeting the threshold, thereby
qualifying to get a share of State funding.
Zanu PF is set
to get the largest share of the ZiG$170 million given that it enjoys a
comfortable two thirds majority in the National Assembly.
Zanu PF
garnered 137 geographical constituencies in the August 2023 general election
while CCC won 73, leaving the revolutionary party to get the bulk of the money.
A rough
calculation shows that Zanu PF will get almost ZiG$111 million while CCC will
get around ZiG$59 million.
Zanu PF
director of information and publicity, Cde Farai Marapira said the money will
go a long way in funding and enhancing the ruling party’s activities.
“As Zanu PF we
appreciate these funds as they enable us to rejuvenate and revamp our party. As
a party with structures, these funds assist us in getting feedback from our
grassroots as well as communicating leadership positions. We have offices and
officers and attendant office bills that need to be paid and these funds go a
long way in ensuring this happens,” said Cde Marapira.
Advocate
Nqobizitha Mlilo, spokesperson for CCC interim secretary-general, Senator
Sengezo Tshabangu said while the opposition appreciates the money disbursed
under the Political Parties Finance Act, they will comment substantively once
the money has been released to them.
Government
promulgated Political Parties Finance Act to prevent foreign funding of
political activities in the country.
This was after
the discovery that the main former opposition party, the MDC, and other smaller
parties were receiving funding from foreign governments and organisations and
using the funding for regime change.
Political
parties can now receive lawful funding through Government grants under the Act,
sale of party cards, fundraising activities and donations from local
well-wishers from party members.
Government has
also since gazetted the Private Voluntary Organisation’s Amendment Bill that
prohibits non-government organisations from campaigning for political parties
or candidates.
The Bill,
currently before Parliament came after it emerged that civic society and NGOs
were being used as conduits for illegal activities by some political parties
and hostile foreign agencies. Herald
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