SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe
As the ZANU PF government struggles to pay civil servants’ salaries and bonuses reports show that the party’s expenditure remains high with chefs pocketing as much as $1,000 for every meeting attended. According to this week’s Financial Gazette a report tabled at the just ended ZANU PF annual conference showed that the party spent $9 million this year while its income stood at $4.4 million. The party spent about $700,000 on meetings this year alone. The business weekly said the Politburo, the party’s supreme decision making body, spent the most on meetings, $225,000 with Politburo members said to be getting more than $1,000 for each meeting attended. Next came the Central Committee spending $208, 000, just on meetings. The Women and Youth League meetings spent $22,000 each. The paper said ZANU PF received $3 million from donors, who included bankers, while another $1 million was received from the government under the Political Parties Finance Act. According to the Act the budget must lay down the amount which each party receives and how much a party receives is determined by the votes it got in the previous general election. ZANU PF also made about $180,000 from subscriptions and $32,000 from the hire of its conference hall. The party’s liabilities were put at $5.8 million. Meanwhile most civil servants are yet to receive their salaries and bonuses and the banks failing to cope with the demands for cash from those who have been paid.