Churches worried by PVO Bill

Peter Moyo

Zimbabwe’s clergy, under the aegis of the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) have registered their apprehension  over the proposed Private Voluntary Organization’s Amendment (PVO) Bill and are calling on the government to exercise restraint.

In a statement, the  ZHOCD which is constituted by the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC), Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), and Union for Development of Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe (UDACIZA), revealed that it has been closely following the legislative developments around the PVO Bill.

ZHOCD contended that notwithstanding that Zimbabwe is entitled to review its laws to meet international and regional obligations, such a review of laws should also happen in the spirit of safeguarding the interests of the citizens.

ZHOCD reiterated that if the bill is passed into law, it would have serious ramifications on humanitarian services as it is likely to complicate the operations of organisations.

“If the bill becomes law, it has the potential of complicating the charity and humanitarian services the Churches provide through their health, education Church and para-Church organizations that are currently registered as Trusts. Undue restrictions on the source of support may also expose vulnerable groups to extreme poverty as some of our funders are faithfully based overseas.

“Strict registration requirements of institutions mentioned above may disrupt the services the Church has been providing to meet the needs of vulnerable groups since time immemorial. The Church strongly believes that the centralization assumed in this proposed Bill reverses the spirit of devolution by ascribing too much authority to the Minister and the Registrar of PVOs,” ZHOCD said.

The Church was unequivocal in asserting that it is guided by   biblical teachings on the “principle of subsidiarity” and a firm belief in  that authority to run PVOs should  be decentralized to encourage participation of PVOs in issues that have a bearing on their operations.

The heads of denominations also took a swipe at the alleged excessive powers that the bill seeks to bequeath on the government minister who will oversee PVOs. They said that the “Church  strongly  believes  that  the  centralization  assumed  in this  proposed  Bill  reverses  the  spirit  of  devolution  by  ascribing  too much  authority  to  the  Minister  and  the  Registrar  of  PVOs.”

According to the government, the bill seeks to  comply  with  recommendations  made  by  the  Financial  Action  Task Force  (FATF), to  streamline  administrative  procedures  and  allow  for  the  efficient regulation  and  administration  of  PVOs,  and to  “prevent  PVOs  from  undertaking  political  lobbying.”

Apropos of the FATF, the Church all but said the government intends to overplay its hand as it pointed out  that the government  has adequate instruments of compliance which do not warrant interference with important services aimed at alleviating lives of communities.

 Through this statement, the church has added its voice to the outcry of other civil society organisations that are engulfed in trepidation over the proposed bill that, if passed may paralyse their operations and also threatens their existence.

The prospective bill comes at a time characterised by comatose social services  such as health and education where the church has hugely complemented government efforts over the years.