Cash-strapped Zanu-PF forces Congress on Parastatals

It is reported that Zanu PF has ordered state-owned parastatals to sponsor its congress this week. The party whose coffers are said to be dry is trying to get Parastatals to sponsor the event by buying exhibition space that cost between US$3 000 and US$6 000.

The State enterprises and parastatals are statutory bodies set up by acts of Parliament and companies that are wholly or majority-owned by the State. Zimbabwe has 107 such enterprises with majority of them struggling due to mismanagement, incompetence, corruption, cronyism, political capture and undue government interference and control.

If all the 107 entities follow up on the “directive”, the party is expected to raise between US$321 000 and US$642 000 from parastatals alone. In a Letter written to parastatals, the near-bankrupt party's secretary for finance Patrick Chinamasa unashamedly asked the parastatals to exhibit at the congress:

“The Zanu PF party is appealing for your co-operation to utilise space allocated to advertise your products and services during the Zanu PF 7th National People's Congress scheduled for between October 26 and 29, 2022. The party is selling exhibition space as follows: 6-metre x 3-metre cubicle, US$6 000 or ZWL equivalent at the official auction rate and for 3-metre x 3-metre cubicle US$3 000 or ZWL equivalent at the official RBZ auction rate.”

A top official from a parastatal under the ICT ministry said that most parastatals had no financial capacity to fund the exhibitions:

“We are broke and we do not get government support but we are being forced to pay these large amounts to sponsor this event which is not fair on our part. Where do we find such amount of money when there is not enough already to fund our retooling efforts?”

It is a habit for the ZANU-PF party to force state-owned enterprises and parastatals into funding the party functions. The ZUPCO is an example of a parastatals where the frequently demands for their services but rarely pay anything.