Staff Reporter
The leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Nelson Chamisa, is concerned with the lack of financial resources by his national assembly and local authority candidates to sustain the impending election campaigns, the Harare Post reports.
A contact close to the opposition leader confided in this publication that Chamisa regretted dumping the majority of the incumbent legislators and councillors who were financially sound to bankroll their campaigns and fund party activities.
According to a contact, most of the wealthy CCC officials failed to sail through the candidate selection process. These include Tendai Biti, who has been influential in sourcing funding from Western benefactors. Gift Banda, Garikai Dendera, Ishmael Madyavanhu, and Blackmore Nyangairo were some of the wealthy CCC members whom he dumped on allegations that they were MDC T leader Douglas Mwonzora`s loyalists.
Contact said only 14 out of 46 sitting House of Assembly members were retained, and 13 out of 29 sitting councillors were also retained.
Contact said Chamisa had dumped old horses that he thought would challenge him. He added that most of the new entrants were his blue-eyed boys, whom he can control.
Contact said Chamisa had gotten used to the previous system where councillors donated money for party activities from illicit land deals while legislators would do so from their parliament earnings.
The contact said the current crop of candidates in the CCC was expecting money from the party to fund their activities. Unfortunately, the party coffers are reportedly dry due to donor fatigue.
Chamisa fears that the lack of financial resources will jeopardise their electoral chances of winning. The CCC Director of Elections, Ian Makone, recently told CCC candidates to fund their campaigns rather than wait for the party and Chamisa to fund them.
The news was not well received by the candidates, who believed that the party received a significant amount of money for campaigns. Rumours have it that the money was diverted by Chamisa for personal use.
