By-The organiser of the GoFundMe campaign to buy a bulletproof vehicle for CCC leader Nelson Chamisa have distanced him and the party from the initiative, saying it was a private project.
The project is being spearheaded by a group called Citizens Action for Change (CAC).
CAC launched the GoFundMe last year in December targetting to raise over US$120 000 to purchase an armoured vehicle for Chamisa.
The initiative was launched after Chamisa’s convoy was attacked by suspected ZANU PF supporters and State security agents during his meet-the-people tours in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces.
Juma Ulete, who is leading the initiative, on Monday told NewsDay that the project to purchase Chamisa’s bulletproof vehicle was still on. Said Ulete:
The campaign was started by citizens who were concerned over Chamisa’s safety. It was introduced way before the CCC was formed and the opposition is a mere beneficiary.
The funds were only released last week after we experienced administrative hitches, which were triggered by ZANU PF which had complained to GoFundMe in California, the United States of America that Chamisa was organising funds politically to purchase an armoured vehicle.
We are citizens who raised this money, not for a political party. We raised this money for a citizen whose name is Nelson Chamisa.
We started this fundraising on October 13, 2021, before CCC was formed, hence it does not have any ties to CCC.
We, as citizens, noticed that there is no even playing field in Zimbabwean politics.
GoFundMe was supposed to give us the money around December when we reached the target, but ZANU PF was bombarding the campaign saying why are these people politically fundraising?
Ulete said the funds were eventually released to CAC by GoFundMe last week.
He added that they had already met Chamisa and his security team to decide on the type of vehicle they wanted.
However, ZANU PF director for information Tafadzwa Mugwadi denied allegations that his party tried to sabotage CAC’s GoFundMe initiative.
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