Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the MDC Alliance (MDC-A), led by Nelson Chamisa has refuted claims suggesting that it received funds from South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Following a public fallout between the ruling ZANU PF party and South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC) over the motive behind two visits to Harare by South African government and ANC officials last year, reports suddenly emerged claiming that Ramaphosa was secretly funding the MDC Alliance.
Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com on Tuesday, MDC-A deputy spokesperson, Clifford Hlatywayo dismissed claims that the party is being bankrolled by Ramaphosa. Said Hlatywayo:
We want the world to know that we are the MDC Alliance led by President Nelson Chamisa. It is a people and mass-based organisation which draws financial support from its members and no-one else.
Hlatywayo added that the government recently took away the party’s constitutionally guaranteed funding under the Political Finance Act and gave the money to the Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC-T. He said:
ZANU PF created Mwonzora’s faction in a bid to make sure the money flows back to and within ZANU PF.
Meanwhile, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe said he does not like ZANU PF’s penchant for using blackmail and threats against South Africa’s ruling party.
This came after ZANU PF information director Tafadzwa Mugwadi made stunning threats that he would drop a “bombshell” and expose the real reason why ANC officials visited Harare in 2020.
