Bill clamping down on NGOs threatens Zimbabwean church, official says

Published: 2004-09-22

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- A bill that seeks to clamp down on nongovernmental organizations is a serious threat to Zimbabwe's Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, said national director Alouis Chaumba. The NGO Bill of 2004, expected to become law before the end of the year, would ban international human rights groups from Zimbabwe and cut off overseas funding to local organizations that deal with issues of governance. Most Zimbabwean nongovernmental organizations, including the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, survive on outside funding, Chaumba said in a Sept. 21 telephone interview from Harare. If the bill is passed, it would be mandatory for all charities and aid agencies to register with the state. This would allow President Robert Mugabe's government to deny accreditation to organizations that criticize human rights abuses in the country, such as the justice and peace commission, Chaumba said.

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