PVO
BILL
Another
bite into
DEMOCRATIC
SPACE
#TRANSPORTCRISIS
Even before it is signed into law, the Private Voluntary
Organisations Amendment Bill (PVO Bill) is already being softly
implemented in what could be a test of the ground by government
and Zanu PF on the effectiveness of the Bill in bullying civil society
organisations that hold government to account.
In one of the boldest acts, Zanu PF vigilante, Taurai Kundishaya
issued a chilling threat to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
(ZimRights) staff conducting voter education in Mutoko.
Tweeting on his handle, Kundishaya, who has already earned
himself the infamy of threatening violence, wrote:
“People of Mutoko, be vigilant, @ZimRightsLive is in your area
today. They spend their night at East view Lodge, Mrehwa Centre,
occupying Rooms 4,6 & 7. Their mission in Mutoko is to organize
for violent demos. Their kombi is only branded at the back.”
On his tweet, Kundishaya added an image of the ZimRights voter
education campaign minibus.
By lying that ZimRights was intending to organize violent
demonstrations and going onto invade the personal privacy by
publishing illegally obtained room numbers of ZimRights staff,
Kundishaya exposed the extent to which the ruling party is willing
to go to suppress the good work of civil society organisations.
To its good, ZimRights has so far fearlessly mobilized
Zimbabweans to register to vote as a way of complementing the
work of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
It is with such regret that we find some individuals who represent
the ruling party making such serious and illegal threats.
We would have expected a statement from Zanu PF condemning
Kundishaya’s threat and disowning them as a party, we take their
silence as being part of the threat.
We also expect the police to take action against such threats and
not wait for citizens to have their rights violated for them to act.
As ZPP we fear for the lives of the ZimRights staffers who have
been under surveillance.
The ruling party’s silence on Kundishaya’s statements and its
continued insistence that the PVO Bill will be fast-tracked through
Parliament can only show the determination of the ruling party to
close down space for civil society organisations.
Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa recently said the
party would use its parliamentary majority to fast-track the Bill.
In light of these developments, ZPP calls for the following:
Considering that Zanu PF government is determined to pass the
PVO Bill and may fast track it so that it becomes a useful tool for
repression ahead of the 2023 elections, ZPP continues to urge for
engagement to ensure that those pushing for the Bill to be passed
into law understand the important and Constitutional role civil
society organisations play towards development.
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