5.0 War on Civil society
A majority of civil society organizations expressed
disquiet about this undue interference in their work,
and said they would be guided by the laws of the
country, none of which required them to furnish
Muguti with work plans, or sign MOUs.
This is not only happening at high level as ZPP has
recorded incidents where ZanuPF activists are already
hounding civil society activists.
An official with the Epworth Residence Development
Association was asked to take the organization’s Trust
Deed to the ZanuPF Harare provincial office. When he
did not do that, he was reportedly under the
surveillance of men believed to be from ZanuPF
Harare province.
This undue interference and the attempts to
criminalize the work of NGOs comes at a time when
ZanuPF is pushing for the enactment of the Patriotic
Bill.
ZIMBABWE PEACE PROJECT
MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT
JULY 2021
If passed, the law will effectively gag Zimbabweans
from criticizing government.
President Mnangagwa has already whittled down the
powers of the judiciary and parliament through the
recent amendment of the Constitution and the current
attempts at silencing alternative voices is evidence
that by 2023, democratic space would have been
closed down.
ZPP recommends that government should realize that
its role is not to further political party interests, but the
interests of every Zimbabwean.
By accepting nomination to stand as president of
Zimbabwe, and by taking the oath upon
inauguration, President Mnangagwa agreed to
serve the interests of every Zimbabwean.
So, by acting in a partisan way while wearing the
presidential jacket, President Mnangagwa and
members of his government are clearly diverting from
their mandate and are acting unconstitutionally.
20