EU suspends financial support after Mnangagwa greenlights controversial NGO law

By Political Correspondent

THE European Union (EU) has responded by suspending financial aid after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the controversial Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill.

Widely condemned by the local opposition, rights groups and other nongovernmental organisations, the new law introduces changes to the operational framework for civic groups and non-governmental organisations.

The presidential assent for the Bill to become law was confirmed on Friday.

According to Amnesty International, the new law places all civic organizations registered under different laws under one law in an attempt to control civil society organizations perceived to be ‘anti-government’.

In response to Mnangagwa’s endorsement, the EU’s ambassador to Harare Jobst von Kirchmann said the development was “disappointing”.

“The enactment of the PVO Amendment Bill, without concluding consultations to address the concerns of civil society organizations, has further reinforced negative trends in governance,” von Kirchmann said in a post on social media.

“As a consequence, the European Union has decided to discontinue its planned targeted 2025 funding in support of the government’s good governance initiatives under the structured dialogue framework.

“The EU remains engaged and ready to reconsider its position should the government demonstrate a genuine commitment to meeting the governance targets outlined in the process.”

The government had yet to respond to the envoy’s remarks.

Rights groups had appealed to Mnangagwa, urging him to deny the PVO bill his endorsement.

Amnesty International warned that then proposed law “threatens civic society organizations working on human rights in Zimbabwe.

“The proposed bill, if it becomes law, will have dire consequences, including restricting civic space and access to humanitarian support services in Zimbabwe as it will immediately render all Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), not registered as PVOs, illegal.

“This bill, if passed by the president, could be used to deny registration of human rights organizations due to the work that they do, including defending rights such as freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

“The bill would also exacerbate the growing crackdown on civil society organizations, increase human rights violations and make it more difficult for the people to hold the government to account.

“There is a risk that employees and board members of NGOs could be arrested and subjected to punitive measures, including imprisonment, simply for doing their work.”

However, defending the bill last year, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the law was necessary “to improve the administration, accountability, and transparency of charities in the country”.

“As the government, we are also aware that some so-called charities act in a partisan manner by directing money to favoured political parties or candidates at the expense of other political parties or candidates.

“Partisan assistance using foreign money or money collected from the public under the guise of charity must never be allowed to influence the outcome of national or local elections. In many developed countries, this kind of behaviour is understood to be harmful to the very idea of charity.”

Zimbabwe has over USD 21 billion in debt and arrears with bilateral and multilateral creditors. Several years ago, the Government of Zimbabwe initiated a commendable arrears clearance and debt resolution process to address this situation. It is disappointing to see that Zimbabwe…

— Jobst von Kirchmann (@vonKirchmannEU) April 12, 2025