BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

ZANU PF Bulawayo province is holding a fundraising event in the city tomorrow as it races against time to raise funds for the party’s annual people’s conference in Goromonzi next week.

Southern Eye has established that Zanu PF’s fundraising committee in the city is having sleepless nights as the party’s usual targets, private companies, have declared incapacitation to fund them.

Each province is expected to raise at least $500 000 to mainly feed Zanu PF delegates attending the conference.

Last week, chairperson of the Bulawayo fundraising committee Charles Chiponda claimed that the province had raised as much as 30% to 40% of their required budget.

- Advertisement -

But spokesperson of the fundraising committee Khumbulani Mpofu in an interview yesterday said the going has been tough for them with targeted traditional donors only making unfulfilled promises.

“We have traditional donors who we are targeting, but we are racing against time. As at present, they are just giving us promises since, as you know, the situation is difficult for many companies. It’s tough, but we are positive that some traditional donors will come through even at the last minute and assist,” Mpofu said.

In the past, the ruling party was accused of coercing some private companies to donate towards its conferences and other activities.

There have also been reports of some party activists taking advantage of the fundraising drive to divert donations for personal use.

In 2015, Zanu PF youth district chairpersons ousted their provincial executive – then led by Mpofu who is the current fundraising committee chairperson – on charges of corruption and using the party name to extort struggling companies of monies, groceries and fuel, which they later shared among themselves.