MANICALAND Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene yesterday warned non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the province to avoid “meddling” in party politics and focus on their core business of providing development aid.
OBEY MANAYITI
Addressing NGO leaders at her offices in Mutare, Chimene said she expected NGOs to compliment government efforts towards eradicating poverty.
“Let’s be all smart. All that I want is that when we interact let’s all be smart in our work,” Chimene said.
In the past, some NGOs have clashed with top Zanu PF and government officials who accused them of campaigning for the opposition. “I don’t want to be a chief whip of Manicaland and if you invite a whip, then you are drawing me back. We don’t want to follow you up as if we are the ones who invited you,” she said.
“If we are here to complement each other, then let it be so and stop being both a complement and a complication. We need to work as a team.”
She added: “I don’t care where you originate from, but because you have come to work here then I will work with you. Where you originate from is none of my business. My business is what you say you have come to help me with.
“I know in some instances they will say this one (NGO) is from Britain or it’s an American NGO, but that should not matter as long as they are operating within the rules and regulations of Zimbabwe.”
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However, some players in the NGO sector claimed that some government workers demanded bribes from them, an issue Chimene said she would investigate. Others complained that they were being charged large sums of money when they seek to renew their permits.
