The European Union (EU) has frozen debt relief aid to Zimbabwe after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed a controversial law targeting civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Mnangagwa, on Friday, signed the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill into law, ignoring the advice of four United Nations human rights rapporteurs who described it as an assault on democratic principles.
The law amended five major pieces of legislation and triggered sweeping changes to Zimbabwe’s regulatory framework for civic groups and NGOs.
It gives the authorities extensive powers to monitor and control the operations of voluntary organisations, including the ability to scrutinise…
