Harare, Zimbabwe – President Emmerson Mnangagwa enacted a contentious piece of legislation on Friday that has stirred local and international concern over restrictions on freedoms within Zimbabwe. Officially titled the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Act 2025, this law redefines the operational landscape for non-governmental organizations, potentially stifling dissent and civic engagement in the southern African nation.
The act introduces a new governing body, the Private Voluntary Organisations Board, along with the Office of the Registrar of PVOs, tasked with the registration and oversight of such entities. Notably, the law broadens the definition of private voluntary organisations to encompass trusts and other legal entities, granting the government sweeping authority to supervise these groups.
Under the new legislation, private voluntary organisations are expressly prohibited from supporting or opposing any political entity during elections. This provision has sparked considerable alarm among human rights advocates, who view it as a direct assault on freedom of expression and association.
Moreover, the amended Section 21 of the Act allows the government unprecedented power to intervene directly and suspend the executive committees of PVOs if deemed necessary “in the public interest.” Critics argue that such vague wording could lead to arbitrary and politically motivated actions against organizations seen as adversarial to the ruling party.
International reactions have been swift and critical. Amnesty International has warned that the law could be leveraged to obstruct the registration of human rights groups, thereby exacerbating an ongoing crackdown on civil society. In alignment with this view, United Nations experts previously assessed the draft bill in 2021, deeming it inconsistent with international human rights standards, particularly concerning the right to free association.
Adding to the chorus of disapproval, European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Jobst von Kirchmann has expressed concerns that the legislation underscores a negative trajectory in Zimbabwean governance. Consequently, the EU has decided to withhold funds previously designated for supporting governance reforms in Zimbabwe for the year 2025.
In recent years, the Zimbabwean government has vigorously utilized the previous iteration of the PVO Act to deregister hundreds of organizations. In 2023 alone, 291 organizations were stripped of their registration, underscoring a growing trend of governmental control over civil liberties in the country.
This tightening of control over NGOs and civil society groups threatens to isolate Zimbabwe further on the international stage, as it grapples with ongoing economic challenges and strives for political stability.
Observers suggest that the PVO Amendment Act 2025 potentially sets a concerning precedent for governance in Zimbabwe, where the balance between state oversight and individual freedoms continues to be a contentious issue.
This article was automatically written by OpenAI. The people, facts, circumstances, and story may be inaccurate, and any article can be requested to be removed, retracted, or corrected by emailing [email protected].