By staff reporter
The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Amendment Bill has passed through the national assembly and now awaits senate scrutiny before it is taken up for presidential assent.
Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the development while addressing local media.
The Bill amends the PVO Act and the government says it will curb money laundering and PVOs’ participation in politics.
It proposes harsh penalties, including jail time of up to one year for perceived offences.
Opposition legislators and human rights activists critic the proposed Bill for being flawed and that it contains controversial clauses that should be subjected to scrutiny and debate.
The opposition legislators expressed fear that if passed into law in its current state, the proposed law will further shrink the country’s democratic space and lead to the closure of several NGOs perceived as anti-government.
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) lawmaker Sichelesile Mahlangu (CCC) said they could not stop the ruling Party Zanu PF which has a majority in parliament.
“On our side, we managed to go out and didn’t participate.
“We were expecting that it will come next year, not this year,” said Mahlangu.
Zanu PF however, has described the Bill as a necessary tool to whip rogue NGOs and CSOs into line.
Pupurai Togarepi the Zanu PF chief whip expressed satisfaction that the Bill had sailed through national assembly, claiming that some opposition lawmakers secretly supported the controversial Bill.
“The Bill sailed through, even the opposition members silently supported the Billl.
“We are excited that people supported the Bill.
“It will be signed by the president (Emmerson Mnangagwa) as law, we are going to have a very good environment,” said Togarepi.
Norton Independent lawmaker Themba Mliswa argued that passage of the Bill into law would affect many people dependent on donor support.
Early this year, prominent economist Prosper Chitambara warned that the proposed PVO Amendment Bill will hit the economy hard saying NGOs are filling the gaps in public programmes and services that States have failed to perform or provide owing to limited fiscal space.