Paris-Geneva,
13
June
2025
– On
11
April
2025,
the
Private
Voluntary
Organisations
Amendment
Act
(No.
1)
of
2025
was
officially
published
in
the
Zimbabwe’s
Government
Gazette,
following
its
signature
by
the
country’s
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa.
This
controversial
law
has
now
come
into
force
and
will
be
having
harmful
effects
on
Zimbabwean
civil
society
and
civic
space,
in
violation
of
both
Zimbabwe’s
own
Constitution
and
the
country’s
international
human
rights
obligations.
Under
this
act,
all
types
of
non
governmental
organisations
and
groups
will
now
have
to
comply
with
burdensome
registration
requirements,
which
will
negatively
impact
community-based
groups
in
particular.
The
registration
process
will
be
closely
monitored
by
the
Office
of
the
Registrar
of
PVOs,
which
is
under
the
control
of
the
executive
branch,
and
which
will
be
provided
with
wide
and
discretionary
powers
to
interfere
in
civil
society
organisations’
governance
and
activities.
The
PVO
Amendment
Act
also
criminalises
human
rights
work,
as
punitive
provisions
impose
criminal
liability
for
civil
society
leaders
who
violate
the
law
and
prohibits
human
rights
groups
from
receiving
funds
from
vaguely
defined
“illegitimate
sources”.
The
Observatory
recalls
that
the
project
of
amending
the
Private
Voluntary
Organisation
(PVO)
Act,
which
regulates
civil
society
organisations
in
the
country,
was
first
discussed
on
5
November
2021,
when
the
Government
of
Zimbabwe gazetted the
PVO
Amendment
Bill
(PVO
Bill
1),
exposing
its
intention
to
provide
itself
with
legal
tools
to
control
and
ultimately
silence
civil
society.
The
bill
was
aimed
at
providing
the
government
with
wide
powers
to
interfere
in
civil
society
organisations’
governance
and
activities.
Following
widespread
outcry,
including
from four
UN
Special
Rapporteurs,
and
public
consultations marred
by
violence,
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa refused to
sign
the
bill
into
law
and
sent
it
back
to
the
Parliament
for
reconsideration
in
September
2023.
In
March
2024,
a
revised
version
of
the
PVO
Bill
(PVO
Bill
2)
was
gazetted,
allegedly
taking
into
account
the
issues
raised
by
the
different
stakeholders.
These
changes
were deemed
insufficient by
civil
society
organisations
to
bring
the
law
into
line
with
Zimbabwe’s
international
and
constitutional
obligations.
Once
again,
the
public
hearings
meant
to
solicit
public
views
on
the
Bill
were
marred
with
violence,
descending
into
chaos
and
leading
Parliamentarians
to
desert
the
venues
fearing
for
their
safety.
Nevertheless,
in
October
2024,
the
Parliament
passed
the
Bill
and
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
ultimately
signed
it
into
law
in
April
2025.
The
Observatory
deplores
the
enactment
of
the
PVO
Amendment
Bill,
which
gravely
restricts
civic
space
and
criminalises
legitimate
human
rights
activities
carried
out
by
civil
society
organisations.
The
Observatory
calls
on
the
authorities
in
Zimbabwe
to
immediately
repeal
the
PVO
Amendment
Act
in
order
to
guarantee
the
right
to
freedom
of
association
in
the
country,
as
protected
by
the
Zimbabwean
Constitution,
particularly
Article
58,
as
well
as
by
international
human
rights
instruments
to
which
Zimbabwe
is
a
party,
especially
Article
10
of
the
African
Charter
on
Human
and
People’s
Rights
and
Article
22
of
the
International
Covenant
on
Civil
and
Political
Rights.
The
Observatory
further
urges
the
government
of
Zimbabwe
to
engage
in
a
constructive
dialogue
with
civil
society
actors
and
promote
an
enabling
environment
for
them.
Source:
Zimbabwe:
Detrimental
Private
Voluntary
Organisations
Amendment
Bill
enacted