Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
Zanu PF is expected to get the lion’s share of ZiG 162 million Treasury allocated in the 2026 national budget under the Political Parties Finance Act after the revolutionary party asserted its dominance in the 2023 general elections.
According to the Treasury’s estimates of expenditure, which go into the ultra-fine detail of how the Budget is spent, qualifying political parties have been allocated Zig 162 719 million, with the threshold of qualifying political entities being five percent of the total votes in a general election.
Zanu PF garnered 137 geographical parliamentary seats while CCC won a paltry 33, leaving the ruling party with an unassailable victory to make it get rich pickings from the money allocated by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion.
Zanu PF won 176 seats against 103 won by CCC in the National Assembly, taking into account the 60 proportional representation women’s seats, coupled with the 10 special youth seats, giving Zanu PF a clear majority.
It is, however, the performance of parties in the 210 constituencies that will be determined in calculating how much a political party is entitled.
There were no minor party members of the National Assembly and no independents, who registered significant electoral victories, meaning all legislators now belong to one of the two major parties.
A rough calculation indicates that Zanu PF will get about ZIG106 million of the allocation, with CCC expected to get ZiG 56 million.
Government promulgated the Political Parties Finance Act in 2004 after it emerged that some opposition parties were receiving funding from foreign governments and organisations as part of covert operations to achieve illegal regime change.
The Act provides that only a political party that garnered at least five percent of the total votes in a general election qualifies for the money.
Under the law, it is criminal for political parties to receive foreign funding.
Political parties can receive lawful funding through Government grants under the Act, the sale of party cards, fundraising activities and from their members.
The Government has since promulgated the Private Voluntary Organisation Act that prohibits non-government organisations from campaigning for political parties or candidates.
The law came about after it emerged that civic society and NGOs were being used as conduits for illegal activities by some political parties and hostile foreign agencies and countries in their bid to effect illegal regime change.
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