MDC-A accounts ‘in order’ Coltart says as independent audit report is released

HARARE – The MDC Alliance publicly released results of an independent audit of the party’s accounts on Tuesday, hoping to dispel claims of funds misuse.

The party’s treasurer general David Coltart said the independent audit findings “show that our accounts are in order.”

“It’s an unqualified audit that we have received from this independent firm,” Coltart said at a news conference in Harare, also attended by party leader Nelson Chamisa.

The audit covered the period between May 2019 when the MDC Alliance held its congress in Gweru and December 2019.

Coltart said the audit report would be circulated among journalists.

“The auditors looked at our entire books of accounts including all state funds that came to us and found that allegations of abuse of funds are baseless,” he told reporters.

“Most of our funds are public funds and we are showing the taxpayers how their funds were used as some of the money came under the Political Parties (Finance) Act. This is what we will do when we are in government.”

MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the party’s decision to publish its accounts was groundbreaking as “no political party in Zimbabwe has subjected itself to an audit.”

“As the MDC Alliance, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. As a government-in-waiting, transparency and openness are at the heart of our financial affairs.

“We insist on the highest levels of integrity and probity in all matters financial, and administrative,” Mahere said.

“These financial statements give a true and fair view of the financial position of the MDC Alliance as at December 31, 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with international financial reporting standards.

“We have to be the change we want to see in the society…”

Chamisa said a key resolution from their 2019 congress was that the party should strengthen its “administrative and financial fundamentals.”

“Our key task is to build strong structures, robust infrastructure and effective systems to achieve total institutional renewal and organisational revitalisation,” he said.

Allegations of misuse of funds were made by the party’s Hatfield MP Tapiwa Mashakada, who has defected to the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe. He claimed ZW$2 million was missing from MDC Alliance coffers.

-Zimlive