ZANU PF senior official Chris Mutsvangwa has questioned the real intentions of Non Governmental Organizations NGOs operating in Zimbabwe.

He says it boggles the mind that these NGOs are from countries who are hostile to Zimbabwe.

“How come these NGOs are only from the hostile nations not the allies of our country.

“This shows they have a hidden agenda so we are keeping an eye out for their movements. The development of Zimbabwe is credited to the Zimbabwe efforts only,” he says.

He said the West are keen to finance the opposition in order to advance their interests, adding that they will fail again.

The Government recently approved the proposed amendments to the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Bill.

According to the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa, the Bill seeks to close existing loopholes and ensure that all PVO activities are transparent and are conducted in the national interest.

The Minister further noted that the Bill will:

-combat money laundering and financing of terrorism by any individual or institution in Zimbabwe operating under the Private Voluntary Organisations banner;
streamline the administrative procedures for Private Voluntary Organisations to ensure their efficient registration, regulation, and the combating of the financing of terrorism;
accord the Registrar of PVOs the power to penalize non-compliant organizations.

-empower the Registrar to collect registration fees from all PVOs;
prohibit PVOs from political involvement and require them to discharge their mandate for the benefit of society’s most vulnerable.

PVOs will therefore be prohibited from undertaking political lobbying on behalf of any individual, organisation or political party and the Bill stipulates penalties for those PVOs that violate the Act; and
empower the Registrar to impose civil penalty orders on PVOs which break the law, with high risk PVOs being placed under monitoring.

The Executive Committee of a PVO can be suspended for either maladministration or failure to discharge the declared mandate.

However, it is feared the government will use it to curtail operations of NGOs.

The Government of Zimbabwe is on record calling NGOs agents regime change.

Zwnews