Suspected ZANU PF youths on Friday disrupted public hearings on the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill in Gweru and Harare.
The PVO Amendment Bill, gazetted on 5th November 2021, seeks to regulate the operations of civic groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
As reported by <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200027071/zanu-pf-youths-disrupt-pvo-bill-hearings">NewsDay</a>, in Gweru, the meeting was abandoned after the ruling party youths heckled the officials led by Senator Sisasenkosi Ndebele, forcing her to leave the venue of the meeting.
In her welcome remarks, Ndebele had said the meeting was non-political and participants were “free to air their views”.
After disrupting the meeting, the youths reportedly started singing in support of President Emmerson Mnangagwa asking why “people hated him”.
During the meeting, the ZANU PF youths would clap their hands when fellow party members were making their submissions but boo other participants’ contributions.
In their support of the Bill, the youths unanimously said it would “curb terrorism” by monitoring the activities of non-profit organisations.
They maintain that NGOs harbour a “regime change agenda” through support from “hostile Western countries”.
In Harare, police had to be called in after suspected ZANU PF youths disrupted the public hearing held at the Ambassador Hotel.
The hearing was abandoned after participants largely from ZANU PF and some religious sects started singing party songs in response to a young woman who had criticised the Bill.
The young woman had said the Bill gave the responsible minister overarching powers to interfere in the work of civic groups.
She left the room fearing for her life following the heckling by ZANU PF supporters.
Critics of the Bill argue that it undermines freedoms of expression and association and gives the government unjustifiable control over the operations of civic groups.
Among other provisions, the PVO Bill stipulates that NGOs and civic society organisations (CSOs) should disclose their sources of funding.
The organisations are required to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government defining their activities and zones of geographic coverage.
The Bill gives the government the authority to “deregister any private voluntary organisation that fails to comply with its conditions of registration.”
In February 2023, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that he would “speedily” sign into law the Private Voluntary Organisation Bill (PVO) once it reaches his desk.
He said no amount of pressure from foreign governments will stop the signing of the Bill into law.
However, when the Bill eventually reached his desk, Mnangagwa did not sign it but referred it back to Parliament for reconsideration after he raised reservations about certain aspects of the Bill.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Rowdy ZANU PF Youths Disrupt PVO Bill Hearings

Leaders of various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) met President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare on Friday.
<a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200009072/csos-meet-ed-over-pvos-bill">NewsDay</a> reported that the meeting was a last-minute bid by CSOs to persuade Mnangagwa to stop signing the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill into law.
The Bill is currently being scrutinised by the Attorney-General’s (AG) office after it sailed through Parliament.
In a tweet, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Ndavaningi Nick Mangwana confirmed the meeting. He wrote:
<blockquote>
Late this afternoon HE President Emmerson Mnangagwa met and engaged with representatives of CSOs in Zimbabwe at State House.
The subject of the engagement was the PVOs Bill which is currently being tidied up by the AG. The meeting was cordial and good-natured.
</blockquote>
Some of the CSOs leaders who attended the meeting include Jenni Williams (Women Arise Zimbabwe), Isaac Maphosa, and Musa Kika (Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum).
The trio reportedly refused to disclose the outcome of their meeting with Mnangagwa.
But representatives from Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition were excluded from the meeting.
Critics of the amended PVOs Bill say it will enable the government to severely restrict the operations of civil society organisations.
The government will be able to deregister CSOs perceived as rogue or susceptible to money laundering and funding terrorism.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Civil Society Organisations Leaders Meet Mnangagwa Over PVOs Bill

USAid Zimbabwe acting mission director Priscilla Sampil said that any law passed by the Zimbabwean government that restricts the operations of Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) and NGOs will negatively affect vulnerable people.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200006897/senate-passes-pvos-billas-usaid-warns-of-funding-threat">NewsDay</a> on Thursday after the Senate passed the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Amendment Bill, Sampil said USAid has provided US$4.5 billion in support to Zimbabwe since 1980. She said:
<blockquote>
USAID remains committed to working with and supporting the people of Zimbabwe through assistance programs that promote a more resilient, inclusive, and democratic society.
This work is conducted through international partners as well as local PVOs and NGOs to ensure they benefit the people in need.
Without commenting on the contents of any proposed legislation, we note that anything that restricts the ability of these organisations to operate, and anything that creates a sense of trepidation or uncertainty among them, is likely to be unhelpful.
USAID has provided over $4.5 billion in assistance to Zimbabwe since 1980. US investments of more than $1.3 billion since 2006 to fight HIV and AIDS have contributed to an 80% decline in the annual number of HIV-related deaths.
</blockquote>
The PVOs Amendment Bill now awaits President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s assent to become law.
The Bill has been criticised by opposition parties and civic groups who argued that it will restrict the democratic space.
The proposed law will reportedly give broad powers to the government to control the operations of civil society organisations (CSOs).

PVOs Amendment Bill... Enacting Restrictive Laws Unhelpful, Says USAID

The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Amendment Bill now awaits President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s assent to become law after it was passed by the Senate.
The Bill has been criticised by opposition parties and civic groups who argued that it will restrict the democratic space.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum recently said the country could lose about US$1 billion annually if the Bill is signed into law.
The proposed law will reportedly give broad powers to the government to control the operations of civil society organisations (CSOs).
Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs told Senate on Thursday:
<blockquote>
This Bill does not speak to those law-abiding organisations, but those who come in the guise of charity to carry out undesirable harmful and criminal activities.
For instance, we received communication from the Financial Action Taskforce that some charitable trusts are being misused as a means of channelling funds to fund terrorism and other criminal activities.
</blockquote>
ZANU PF senators on Thursday supported the passage of the Bill, saying it was necessary to tame “rogue” NGOs and CSOs.
While opposing the passage of the Bill, MDC Alliance Senator Morgen Komichi urged the government to enact laws that would ensure foreign organisations supporting developmental projects in the country conduct their operations without hindrance. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200006897/senate-passes-pvos-billas-usaid-warns-of-funding-threat">NewsDay</a>

Senate Passes PVOs Amendment Bill

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Paul Mavima, has said the government has not deregistered any Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) operating in the country.
In an interview with the Zimpapers Television Network’s The Chase programme on Thursday night, Mavima said the government has identified and informed 391 NGOs who are non-compliant with the dictates of the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Act to regularise their operations.
He said the identified NGOs, whose figure was 450 last year but has come down to 391, still have a chance to regularise their operations before the Government gazettes their deregistration. Said Mavima:
<blockquote>
The list still gives them an opportunity to regularise before we gazette, for now, we haven’t gazetted but soon we will be gazetting.
We have given them a very long rope but once we gazette they will then have to apply afresh to operate.
</blockquote>
He also denied claims that the listing of non-compliant NGOs was done based on the amended PVO Act, saying the process to amend the law has not been completed. Mavima said:
<blockquote>
The new Act’s amendment process has not been completed and a lot of people have been saying there is a draconian action by Government in line with the new Act and we have started to see the implementation of that Act which is going to constrain civil society space.
The Act has always been there and just like in any other country, it provides a criterion for registration for anyone who wants to operate a PVO.
It sets the requirements needed, a management arrangement, provides annual reports to the PVO board, audited financial statements and keeps within the mandate that you said you wanted to operate in and also to confine yourself to the geographical space that you said you want to operate from. This is standard procedure, everywhere.
</blockquote>
Mavima said Zimbabwe has only deregistered two NGOs last year for national security reasons.
He said one of the NGOs had said they wanted to provide services to children and started constructing schools and after that started teaching fundamentalism in those schools.
Mavima also explained that Jairos Jiri Association, which is among the 291 NGOs that were listed, has over the years been unbundled and become a number of organisations offering various services.
He said some of the offshoots have complied while others are now defunct. | <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/minister-clarifies-ngos-deregistration/">Chronicle</a>

"The 391 NGOs Have Not Been Deregistered"

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) has condemned the government’s decision to de-register 291 private voluntary organisations (PVOs).
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima said the PVOs were deregistered for different reasons but mainly because of their failure to submit audited financial statements.
CiZC spokesperson Obert Masaraure said the development will result in job losses and this will have a negative impact on livelihoods. Masaraure said:
<blockquote>
This is quite an unfortunate development that will negatively impact the lives of ordinary citizens; especially given the fact that most of these organisations are working in the field of social welfare.
We also have to be alive of the negative economic impacts of this move and the fact that jobs will be lost, and again this will impact negatively on livelihoods.
Government should consider the welfare of the suffering masses before implementing decisions that impact on people’s welfare.
We would also like to highlight the fact that the push to amend the PVOs Act is a sure sign that the government is determined to close down operating space for civil society organisations.
Government is keen to instill fear into civil society organisations that are undertaking their genuine role of holding the government to account.
We implore the government to respect the work of civil society organisations and to recognise their huge contribution to the strengthening of democracy, good governance and economic prosperity.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum executive director Musa Kika urged civil society organisations (CSOs) to comply with the requirements of the law to avoid being de-registered. He said:
<blockquote>
Information gathered by NANGO regarding the motivation and reasons for deregistration is mainly failure to comply with the PVO Act (17:05) Section 5(e), which requires PVOs to submit annual returns (audited financial reports and annual narrative reports) of which failure to submit these for three consecutive years may result in your certificate being terminated.
We urge all our members not to panic. However, we encourage all PVOs to submit their returns annually as a compliance requirement in order to avoid any risk of being deregistered.
</blockquote>
The de-registered organisations were ordered to surrender their certificates of operation to the government. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200006534/outrage-as-govt-deregisters-291-pvos">NewsDay</a>

Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition Denounces Govt's Decision To De-register 291 PVOs

The majority of the 291 private voluntary organisations recently deregistered by the Registrar of Private Voluntary Organisations had not submitted their annual returns as required by the Private Voluntary Organisations Act, a cabinet minister has said.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/291-ngos-fail-to-comply-with-regulations/">The Herald</a>, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima said the PVOs were deregistered for different reasons but mainly because of their failure to submit audited financial statements. He said:
<blockquote>
The reasons for deregistration vary from one organisation to another, but basically, most of them failed to submit the needed annual returns as mandated by the Act.
Typically, you will find that on rare occasions there are issues of national security, but those are very rare.
The main problem was people biting off more than they could chew.
People just register but they do not deliver on their mandate, and also some cannot keep up with the requirements for reporting, and therefore they end up being deregistered.
For example, they say they want to provide services to vulnerable people, maybe children, maybe elderly people.
They bring brilliant ideas, but on implementation, they find that they cannot get the resources that are needed and they cannot keep up with the requirements.
That is to say bring the report on an annual basis, and bring audited financial statements.
As a result, they fail to comply, let alone deliver on the mandate so they end up being deregistered because they have not fulfilled the requirements for registration.
</blockquote>
The registrar of the PVOs had earlier announced the cancellation of the certificates of the delisted organisations for not complying with what the Act required. It said in a statement:
<blockquote>
The Registrar of Private Voluntary Organisations in conjunction with the Private Voluntary Organisation Board has noted with concern that a number of registered private voluntary organisations are not complying with the prescribed expectations of their operations, as outlined in terms of the Private Voluntary Organisation Act (Chapter 17:05).
Accordingly, the Registrar of Private Voluntary Organisations and the Private Voluntary Organisation Board have therefore deregistered 291 organisations that were found to be non-compliant with the provisions of the Private Voluntary Organisation Act.
</blockquote>

Govt De-registers 291 Non-governmental Organisations

Zimbabwe creating legislation that would ban Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) suspected to be funding or campaigning for politicians in any election in the country. 

The Sunday Mail, a state-run newspaper, reports that the proposed amendments to the Private Voluntary Organizations Act would include the shutting down of some PVOs and removal of their directors by a registrar, appointed by the government.
 The newspaper reports that the proposed amendments to the Act would soon be tabled before the Parliament of Zimbabwe.
Under the new regulations, PVOs funding or supporting candidates in an election will face heavy fines or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or both. At the same time, operating an unregistered PVO would attract a 10-year sentence.
A registrar, appointed by the government, would be expected to collect registration fees for PVOs and be in a position to run these organizations if they are found to be violating Zimbabwean laws.
Currently, PVOs operate under the purview of the director of social welfare in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Reads Section 5 of the Bill: 
<blockquote>
When any private voluntary organisation that supports or opposes any political party or candidate in a presidential, parliamentary or local government election or is a party to any breach of Section 7 under Part III of the Political Parties (Finance) Act (Chapter 2:12) as a contributor of funds to a political party or candidate or otherwise shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of Level Twelve or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or both such fine or such imprisonment.
</blockquote>
Zanu PF’s Tafadzwa Muguti recently attempted to introduce such regulations, which were declared null and void by a local court.
PVOs say this latest move is an attempt by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to bring back Muguti’s dumped regulations, which would lead to the shutting down of all PVOs said to be anti-government.
More: <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/ngos-dabbling-in-politics-face-heavy-penalties">The Sunday Mail</a>

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