Wallace Ruzvidzo — The ZiG70 million set aside by Treasury for disbursement to political parties which met the five percent voter threshold in last year's general elections remains a contentious issue in the opposition CCC party whose warring factions continue to vie for control of the statutory funds.
Zanu PF got the lion's share with almost ZiG48 million, while CCC was awarded just over ZiG22 million under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.
Chaos and disorder however continue to rule supreme in the disorganised CCC as the factions bay for a piece of the cake.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced that he was going to disburse funds to the political parties as provided for in the Constitution.
This announcement consequently fuelled chaos and mayhem in CCC with a faction led by Mr Jameson Timba filing an urgent High Court application seeking an order to stop Minister Ziyambi from disbursing the funds until leadership disputes within the opposition were settled.
In turn, Professor Welshman Ncube made an application for joinder in proceedings, which would enable him to be involved in the legal dispute, citing that he had been omitted yet he had a real and substantial interest in the matter.
"This is an application to seek to be joined in the proceedings under cover of case number HCH4235/24.
"The application is made qua Rule 32 (12) (b) of the High Court 2021. The applicants seek to be joined in an urgent chamber application that was filed by the 1st and 2nd respondents on the 27th of September 2024. I attach hereto the urgent chamber application and mark the same as Annexure CC 2.
"The 1st and 2nd applicants became aware of the application through social media and news articles both in print and electronic form," reads the application.
Prof Ncube alleged that his omission from the matter had been conspicuous.
"I aver that the 1st applicant and myself ought to, have been joined in the proceedings that were instituted by the 1st and 2nd respondent. Their non-citation of the applicants is conspicuous as they are fully aware that the Applicants have a real and substantial interest in the matter.
"This is an application that must never be opposed by any sane mind or legal practitioner. The reading of the notice of motion is very clear and shows that the applicants indeed have a real and substantial interest in the matter and its outcome," reads part of the application.
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The CCC's secretary general Mr Sengezo Tshabangu then filed a notice of opposition challenging Prof Ncube's claim that he was the acting president of the opposition outfit.
He said Prof Ncube's claims were baseless as they were not backed by any facts.
"The deponent is not the acting president of the applicant. He has not attached any annexure to substantiate his averment. It is trite that in motion proceedings, an applicant stands and falls on his or her pleadings of the facts of his or her case.
"No facts have been pleaded generally, and specifically with reference to the first applicant's constitution, same attached on page 101 if the Applicants application, to support the deponent's averment that he is in fact the acting president of the applicant.
"On the version of the deponent, and in particular paragraph 27, the deponent alleges that he became acting president on account of the resignation of the then president, Mr Nelson Chamisa. He does not aver that there was an extraordinary Congress of the applicant as peremptorily required by the 1ts applicant's constitution, and by law.
"In the result, and again on his version, the deponent is not, and has never been the lawful acting president of the first applicant," reads part of the notice of opposition.
