Zimbabwe activists condemn NGO crackdown bill signed into law: Video
Human rights activists and civil society leaders in Zimbabwe have expressed outrage after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the controversial Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill, which imposes sweeping restrictions on non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The new law, passed by parliament in February, bans civil society organisations from engaging in politics and gives the state broad powers to interfere in their operations, including altering their leadership structures and monitoring funding sources.
Critics say the legislation is aimed at silencing dissent and consolidating power, especially after the government’s intensified clampdown on opposition parties in recent years.
“Essentially they destroyed opposition politics, so now they are moving to civic society,” said Blessing Vava, director of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a network of over 75 civic organisations. “There is no NGO I know of that has been involved in terrorism or money laundering. This is a ploy by the Mnangagwa regime to impose a one-party state,” he told the AFP.
Vava added that civic groups have been playing a critical watchdog role and educating citizens on voting and constitutional rights - functions he believes the government now sees as a threat.
Paidamoyo Saurombe, a human rights lawyer, urged affected organisations to challenge the law in court. “The legal remedy for human rights and charity organisations is to take this bill to be tested in our courts and see if it aligns with constitutional provisions,” she said.
The bill's passage comes despite strong warnings from United Nations experts, who earlier this year said the legislation would “severely restrict” the space for civil society in Zimbabwe and urged Mnangagwa not to sign it.
