CCC suffers setback in bid for ZWL 22.1 million fu...

CCC suffers setback in bid for ZWL 22.1 million funding

Philemon Jambaya

Zim Now Editor

The Citizens Coalition for Change party led by Jameson Timba, has hit a roadblock in its quest to secure ZWL 22.1 million in funding under the Political Parties (Finance) Act. Justice Faith Mushure ruled on October 16 that the party's application to bar the government from disbursing the funds to rival factions was not urgent.

The CCC is currently divided into three factions: Timba's, Welshman Ncube's, and Sengezo Tshabangu's. Each faction has written to Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, demanding the funds due to the CCC's emergence as the main opposition in last August's elections.

The dispute began when Timba's faction wrote to Ziyambi on October 16, 2023, requesting that the CCC allocation be deposited into a specific bank account. However, Ziyambi ignored the letters, contrary to legal requirements.

Justice Mushure stated that Timba's CCC failed to establish the application's urgency, citing an undue delay and laxity in bringing the application to court. The judge noted that the applicants knew about the factual circumstances giving rise to the urgent application since October 16, 2023, but took no steps to prevent the perceived harm.

The ruling leaves the door open for ministers to release the funds to any of the three factions at their discretion. Zanu PF is set to receive the lion's share of ZWL 47.9 million.

Welshman Ncube's faction opposed Timba's application, arguing it was not urgent. Ncube stated in an affidavit that his party is the legitimate CCC and should receive the funding.

The development has significant implications for the CCC's internal power struggles and its ability to operate effectively as the main opposition party.