Suspicion over party funds given to pro-senate MDC by government

By Tererai Karimakwenda
14 March 2006

On Monday we reported that Tendai Biti the shadow minister for economics in the Tsvangirai led MDC had raised questions as to why the funds set aside for opposition parties in parliament had been given to the MDC party now led by Professor Arthur Mutambara. Biti said he believes the funds, which are allotted proportionally according to representation in parliament, were given to the Mutambara MDC by Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa as an attempt to legitimise the group.

He said the Political Finances Act was only used as a cover for the Z$8 billion that the group was given by government to help pay for their congress last month. We finally managed to get a response to this from the other side. Priscilla Misihairambwi Mushonga, who was appointed deputy secretary general of the pro-senate MDC faction, denied receiving any financial support from the government to pay for their congress. She said she was hurt and disappointed by Biti’s statements because she respected him and never dreamt that he would lie about this important issue.

Misihairambwi Mushonga acknowledged that they got funds meant for opposition parties in parliament, but did not use these to fund their congress. When minister Chinamasa handed over the funds in February, he said the government did not recognise the split within the MDC and gave the money as usual to the secretary general and treasurer of the MDC. That meant Welshman Ncube and Fletcher Dulini Ncube respectively and both men are officials in the Mutambara MDC. Biti had said this was his point exactly, that the government let go of the funds knowing that under the current arrangement the Tsvangirai MDC would not receive any money. That, according to Biti, was a conscious choice to support one faction over the other.

Once again the two factions of the MDC are completely opposed on this issue but government has clearly decided which faction of the MDC it wants to fund.