It is now being cleaned up for my assent. I will sign it
into law once it reaches my desk. Thereafter, Zimbabwe will enter a new era of
genuine philanthropic and advocacy work, unsullied by ulterior political or
financial motives. This has been our goal as Government in drafting such a law.
To protect our society, specifically the needy and the vulnerable against the
greed, wiles and subterfuges of the crooked, found both here at home and
abroad.
NGOs as Trojan Horses
We also sought to protect and defend our sovereignty from
foreign interests, which seek to take advantage of genuine need in our society
to infiltrate and destabilise us. Or which seek to turn a small section of
mercenaries in our midst into the proverbial Trojan Horse for attacking our
sovereignty, our values and our politics. The goal was never helping the poor;
the target was always challenging our sovereignty and hard-won independence
under the guise of helping our less privileged.
It is regrettable that a sector meant to do good for the
weak and vulnerable has over the years got infiltrated and weaponised against
our nation and our people, including the very poor in whose name and for whose
benefit the sector arose to serve in the first place. Any responsible
Government would not stand idly by as this happened. Corrective action had to
be taken to cure such mischief. It has since been taken through this enabling
legislation, which now empowers Government to protect the weak and vulnerable,
while fortifying our sovereignty against insidious encroachment by these
hostile forces.
Genuine NGO work will be protected
Bona fide non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have
nothing to fear. These will continue with their Godly work and vocation by
serving the needy and the poor, thus augmenting the many safety nets which
Government put in place and continues to finance for the benefit of the
vulnerable and the less-privileged in our immediate communities and in our
broader society. The same also holds for those involved in genuine advocacy
work. The new law allows them to raise awareness and arouse the collective
conscience of our society on those rights and interests we must never overlook,
rights and interests we must seek to safeguard and protect at all times.
Indeed, any society, ours included, is as humane and as compassionate as it
treats and provides for its needy, weak and vulnerable.
Churches have been apprised
Government held several meetings with church organisations
in order to allay any fears or misgivings they may have had regarding this
proposed law.
Our churches have been in the forefront of doing
humanitarian work. This Godly role must be nurtured, furthered and protected.
To that end, governance structures envisaged by the new law for the sector will
incorporate churches so they bring their honest, beneficent influence to bear
on all actors.
Why PVO Bill?
What prompted Government to draft and sponsor this Bill was
the deteriorating conduct of several organisations, which Government had
registered in good faith and allowed to operate in our country as PVOs. In
spite of the clarity of the law then, and of terms and conditions for
registration, some NGOs wilfully departed from their original, founding
mandates. Worse, many had become a law unto themselves, all in the name of
defending and serving the poor. Others abused resources donated to assist the
poor to self-enrich themselves. Accountability had broken down and fortunes
were being made in the name of our poor. That was callous.
Money laundering offences
A more serious situation had also developed. Some of the
NGOs were being used to launder or to clean dirty money, which would find way
into our systems, thus impinging on national security and breaching
international laws.
This presented a real, direct threat to our nation,
including how our country was perceived and rated internationally. In this era
of ever-present threat of international terrorism, this could not be ignored.
Largest number in so small a country
Our dollarised economy did not help matters. Because this
sector had become veritable refuge for the deviant and wayward, and for actors
with sinister motives, our country, which is relatively small both by
territorial size and by population, acquired and assumed the dubious honour of
having one of the largest number of NGOs. Yet little showed on the ground by
way of real humanitarian work. Quite the contrary, Government’s burden in
carrying and looking after the poor, the vulnerable, the ailing and the
unemployed, grew and multiplied. Inevitably, Government started asking very
pertinent and penetrating questions. Sunday Mail
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