REGIONAL civil society organisation, Action for Southern Africa (ActSA), says Zimbabwe’s civil society is under siege and desperately needs reinforcement from solidarity movements worldwide.
ActSA works in solidarity with civil society organisations (CSOs) in southern Africa and the United Kingdom to ensure that legacies of colonialism, apartheid and racism are replaced with justice, human rights and peace.
In a joint report with the University of Liverpool titled: Voices from the Frontline: Repression and Shrinking Space for Civil Society Organisations in Zimbabwe, ActSA documented the experiences of civil society leaders in the run-up to the August 23 and 24 elections. Its findings were submitted to the United Kingdom's House of Lords last week.
The report included personal experiences shared by CSO leaders and human rights defenders in Zimbabwe who could not be identified for their safety.
“Zimbabwean civil society is under siege at a time when it desperately needs reinforcement from solidarity movements worldwide. ActSA hopes this report will refresh dialogue between civil society in the UK, Zimbabwe, and funders and decision-makers to find the way forward in the months ahead.
“The report brings together themes of major concern to civil society, including denial of due process under the law, systematic attacks on civil society groups, and the intimidation of professional groups to support the (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa regime,” partly read the report.
The report, launched in the House of Lords on September 13 through Lord Jonathon Oates’s support, said self-censorship due to a constrained environment caused by repressive legislation had resulted in covert mistrust among CSOs.
“The result is declining solidarity, which results in reduced organised challenge, for example, to repressive legislation. Coupled with limited funding from traditional donors for projects such as civic education outside of election periods, CSOs are struggling to remain in operation. Many key organisations have closed, putting increased strain on those that remain in operation. Regional solidarity is essential to providing support to CSOs in Zimbabwe,” ActSA said.
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ActSA recommended that the African diplomatic community as a whole should be invited to address the increasing regression in human rights and democratic governance in Zimbabwe.
“Global commitment, already agreed upon through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) process, can be used to highlight regressive policies and practices as they relate to democracy, the role of women, vibrant civil society, and partnerships between corporate entities, government, and civil society,” ActSA added.
ActSA alleged that since the 2017 military coup, Mnangagwa’s regime has adopted a two-pronged approach to shrinking both civic and political spaces.
Legislation such as the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act No 10 of 2023, allegedly was introduced to muzzle civil society. The Act which criminalises criticism of the government came into force on July 14 this year.
The reported cases of abduction which have occurred since 2020, the prolonged incarceration of former Zengeza West legislator Job Sikhala and unexplained political murders, among other contentious issues were highlighted in the report.
