By Richard Shumba
All hell broke loose at the Gweru theatre as the PVO bill consultation hearings could not commence as suspected Zanu Pf youths invaded the event while instilling fear in anyone who spoke against the bill.
Parliamentarians and members of the public who were attending the consultative meeting had to hurry for safety after the youths started chanting political slogans and behaving in an unruly manner.
The event witnessed suspected Zanupf youths pulling out machetes and button sticks as a way to intimidate those who were not supporting the bill.
One of the participants who spoke on condition of anonymity said that she had been attacked and slapped in the face because she had spoken against the bill.
“As we were leaving the theater and approaching the Total Fuel station some random person came from behind me and hit me with what seemed to be a button stick and ran away, I am now even afraid to go home alone as I am no longer certain what this person may do to me, they could probably follow me and I don’t know what to do,” she said.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Service is currently gathering views on the Bill viewed to be oppressive as its provisions will effectively eliminate CSOs involved in promoting and defending human rights in the country.
Most non-governmental organizations operating in Zimbabwe have been campaigning against the amendment bill, arguing that it is a move by the government to throttle independent civil society organizations.
Though a mixed bag of views, most attendants raised a NO vote to the bill and the few consented to the bill. Speaking at the event NANGO Titus Mangoma said that the intentions of the bill were malicious and sought to silence the NGO fraternity
“To tell the truth they are laws that deal with terrorism in this country and I think that the PVO is not necessary a resident said the PVO bill was further entrenching authoritarian and dictatorship rule in Zimbabwe.”
“We reiterate that amendments to the PVO Act are part of the efforts to close the democratic space in Zimbabwe and citizens must unite in rejecting these amendments which will curtail fundamental freedoms and entrench authoritarian rule,” said Brisky Ncube.
Meanwhile, others supported the PVO bill saying that NGO operations should be scrutinized as they used to give food aid in bags with notes encouraging people to vote for a certain political party.
“We have noticed in previous elections that NGOs donate food to us people from the rural areas but what you would realize is that this aid is not free it’s a calculated measure to attain regime change and topple the government,” said Victor Maride.
He also further elucidated that NGOs should be properly monitored so that their source of income is established
