GOVERNMENT is withholding the MDC\u2019s share of funds due to the main opposition under the Political Parties Finance Act in a bid to stop possible use of the money to fund protests, the opposition party has said.<\/p>\n
efforts have been made to get the money but government has moved its officials from pillar to post with no tangible reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not received our share from the Political Parties Finance Act because government thinks we will use the money to fund protests. They are scared and now are withholding the money despite a public pronouncement to the effect that the money was now available,\u201d said a source.<\/p>\n
Party spokesperson Daniel Molokele said he was not privy to the reasons as to why government is holding on the money, months after Treasury released it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not yet received the money. The secretary general (Charlton Hwende) has been chasing and as far as I know, we have not had any joy on that front,\u201d said Molokele.<\/p>\n
Hwende denied the MDC would want to use the money to fund anti-government protests.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not received a cent and it\u2019s true we have been sent from pillar to post by the government. I am aware that Treasury has released the money. However, for some reason, someone has seen it fit to play dirty politics with our share,\u201d said Hwende.<\/p>\n
The MDC secretary general said his view was that Zanu PF wanted to cripple the party\u2019s programmes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe use that money to enhance our parliamentary programmes. We employ people to help our legislators and they need to be paid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been chasing that money for months but there is nothing. The idea in our view is to cripple us. It\u2019s nonsensical for someone to think we will use that money to fund protests. Zimbabweans don\u2019t need money to be organised because they are hungry and angry already,\u201d said Hwende.<\/p>\n
Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo said while he was aware of a statement to the effect that Treasury had released the funds, he was not aware if the ruling party had received it\u2019s share.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am aware that there was a statement to the effect that the two parties will receive the funds maybe two months ago but I would not know if we have received. Our secretary for finance Patrick Chinamasa would know better,\u201d said Khaya-Moyo.<\/p>\n
Chinamasa was not available for comment. However, party secretary for administration Obert Mpofu said Zanu PF was yet to receive its share.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are waiting for that intervention. We have not received it yet,\u201d said Mpofu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GOVERNMENT is withholding the MDC\u2019s share of funds due to the main opposition under the Political Parties Finance Act in a bid to stop possible use of the money to fund protests, the opposition party has said. efforts have been made to get the money but government has moved its officials from pillar to post […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":4649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[38,622,88,120],"class_list":{"0":"post-11772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-parties","9":"tag-zanu-pf","10":"tag-hwende","11":"tag-mdc","12":"tag-parties"},"yoast_head":"\n