HARARE
–
The
Citizens
Coalition
for
Change
party
led
by
Welshman
Ncube
will
receive
funds
under
the
Political
Parties
(Finance)
Act
in
a
major
snub
to
two
other
factions,
it
was
reported
on
Sunday.
Justice
minister
Ziyambi
Ziyambi
was
petitioned
by
three
rival
CCC
factions
all
claiming
they
were
entitled
to
the
money,
and
each
submitting
their
own
bank
account.
Ziyambi
has
now
decided
the
“windfall”
will
go
to
the
Ncube
faction,
The
Standard
reported,
rejecting
bids
by
the
Jameson
Timba-led
group
and
a
third
led
by
Sengezo
Tshabangu,
the
self-styled
CCC
secretary
general
who
appeared
to
have
successfully
hijacked
the
party
and
enjoys
favour
in
the
Zanu
PF
government.
Ziyambi
professed
ignorance
about
the
development,
however,
telling
ZimLive:
“I’m
not
sure
who
has
been
given.
I’m
out
of
the
country
and
I
don’t
even
know
if
the
money
has
been
disbursed.”
Ncube,
meanwhile,
said
“not
yet”
when
asked
if
they
had
received
the
money.
He,
however,
insisted
that
they
were
entitled
to
the
cash.
“There
should
be
no
controversy
there
because
the
money
is
due
to
CCC
by
law,
and
we
are
CCC,”
he
said.
The
funds,
paid
annually,
are
allocated
to
political
parties
based
on
their
performance
in
the
last
election.
The
government
announced
in
May
that
the
CCC
would
receive
ZiG
22,116,500
(about
US$870,000
at
the
official
rate)
and
Zanu
PF
ZiG
70
million
(about
US$2.7
million).
The
Timba
group
failed
in
a
court
bid
to
block
the
disbursement
of
the
money,
which
–
in
court
papers
–
they
had
assumed
would
be
released
to
Tshabangu.
A
judge
said
the
application
lacked
urgency.
The
Standard
reports
that
Tshabangu
–
perhaps
realising
Zanu
PF
will
not
prop
him
up
this
time
–
made
overtures
to
Ncube
about
jointly
managing
the
money,
which
were
rejected
out
of
hand.
One
of
the
conditions
was
that
the
money
would
be
deposited
into
the
bank
account
registered
by
Tshabangu,
and
that
Tshabangu
would
be
a
joint
signatory
with
Ncube
and
the
party’s
interim
treasurer.
Zanu
PF
won
137
parliamentary
seats
in
the
August
2023
general
elections,
with
CCC
picking
up
73.
With
proportional
representation,
women’s
quarter
and
youth
quota
seats,
Zanu
PF
controlled
177
seats
in
the
National
Assembly
to
CCC’s
104.
CCC’s
failure
to
wrest
power
from
Zanu
PF
sparked
internal
bloodletting.
Tshabangu,
an
ordinary
member
of
the
party,
seized
on
its
lack
of
clear
structures
and
declared
himself
the
party’s
interim
secretary
general.
Tshabangu
was
immediately
recognised
by
Zanu
PF
before
embarking
on
a
campaign
to
decimate
the
party,
including
recalling
over
100
councillors,
MPs
and
senators.
Zanu
PF
won
most
of
the
by-elections
occasioned
by
those
recalls
–
but
those
results
are
not
a
factor
in
determining
monies
due
to
each
party.
Tshabangu
later
made
himself
a
senator
for
Matabeleland
North
and
is
recognised
by
parliament
authorities
as
the
leader
of
the
opposition.