By Tafadzwa Chigandiwa
Media law expert, Chris Mhike has criticised the government’s plans to push for the enactment of the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Amendment Bill which clamps down on civil society.
The PVO bill is targeted at controlling operations of all non-governmental and private organisations in the country.
Government through cabinet approved the proposal of the PVO Amendment Bill which was recently gazetted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The move irked civil society organisations and law experts who believe the bill is unconstitutional and repressive.
In an interview with Bustop TV, advocate Mhike said the PVO Bill is constituted by toxic tactics aimed at weakening Civil Society Organisations’ (CSO) space.
“The proposed new law is obviously designed to clamp down on civil society and to consolidate governmental control in all spheres of Zimbabwean life. The wide powers to be vested in government ministers, the strict limitations to be imposed on the activities of non-State actors, the onerous condition set as pre-conditions for registration, and the curtailment of autonomy for non-governmental operations under the Bill, all constitute a cocktail of toxic tactics whose implementation would surely severely weaken civil society,” he said.
Mhike a former journalist said that the motion to amend the bill is politically motivated.
“All along, PVOs that voluntarily surrender some of their autonomy to governmental authority have existed side-by-side with Trusts and common law unregistered entities, without any real problem or commotion to our society. The sponsors of the Bill under discussion seem to be motivated by partisan political reasons, and they seem to have no appetite to take into account the concerns of ordinary citizens, or the voices of civil society.”
He added: “At the base of any law which potentially affects the welfare of ordinary people, should be the consideration of fundamental rights and freedoms. Sadly, this Bill represents a historic affront to Zimbabwe’s Bill of Rights, and to internationally recognized human rights standards such as freedom of association, equality before the law, and freedom of expression. Government and the ruling party must seriously reconsider the usefulness of the proposed law to the advancement of Zimbabwe as a genuine democracy.”
This article was produced with financial support of the Content Creators Network ZW.
