A newly enacted law regulating non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe has sparked widespread criticism, with human rights defenders warning it could severely restrict civic and democratic freedoms.
The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Act, signed into law last week, has been described by civil society leaders as a tool to shrink the democratic space and suppress dissent.
Speaking during This Morning on Asakhe, a daily current affairs programme hosted by CITEZW on X (formerly Twitter), prominent human rights lawyer Arnold Tsunga said the law was part of a broader strategy to curtail civil liberties in Zimbabwe.
“The way in which this law has been crafted is meant to target civil society and NGOs,” said Tsunga. “It creates a climate of impunity for those truly responsible for money laundering and illicit financial flows.”
The government has argued that the law is intended to align with international standards, including those set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — an inter-governmental body established to combat money laundering and terrorism financing in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
However, Tsunga argued that in Zimbabwe’s context, it is politically exposed individuals — not civil society groups — who are most commonly implicated in financial crimes.
He also warned that the law was the latest development in a long-standing trend of eroding civic space since the rise of multi-party politics in the 1990s.
“The shrinking of civic space has come in various forms: politically motivated violence, the partisan distribution of humanitarian aid, and now, the weaponisation of the law,” he said.
Joining the conversation, Makomborero Carl Muropa, Regional Programmes Officer for South and East Africa at Accountability Lab, echoed concerns about government overreach.
He highlighted the broad powers granted to the Minister under the Act, which allow for the deregistration of organisations without prior notice or legal proceedings.
“The minister can simply declare an organisation to be vulnerable to misuse or linked to terrorism, and proceed to deregister them,” said Muropa. “That places registered PVOs at significant risk.”
Civil society organisations fear the law could be used selectively to stifle dissenting voices and restrict the operations of NGOs working in human rights, democracy, and governance.