NGOs push for self-regulation.

An online cartoon showing a government official stressing
the need for self regulation

Non-Governmental Organisations in the Western Region have vowed to push for changes in the laws governing them to allow for self-regulation.

 This came out at a meeting organized by NANGO to present the Shadow PVO Amendment Bill to civil society organisations in the region. The meeting was held in Bulawayo recently.

In its quest to facilitate a conducive environment for the operations of civil society organizations in Zimbabwe, NANGO has maintained consistency in calling for the amendment of the current PVO Act which governs the operations of NGOs.

It has also proposed through consultation with its membership, amendments to the PVO Act though the PVO Amendment Bill of September 2013. The bill deals with the cumbersome process of registering NGOs and also calls for the self-regulation of NGOs in the country.

Speaking at the meeting, the national chairperson of NANGO, Mr Paul Juru said the amendment of the Act is in line with the current government efforts to realign laws to the new constitution.

 “Nango wishes to advance the shadow PVO amendment bill which reduces the discretion of the board and allows for a more independent oversight mechanism. There is a need to reform the manner in which CSOs are registered to ensure the process is simple and harmonise the process to do away with numerous methods of registration,” he said.

Currently, the registration process has proven to be a mammoth task leaving many to register as trusts while doing NGOs work. Others on the other hand are registered under common law.

Juru added that “CSOs have over the years complained about challenges that include delays in the registration process, overregulation, and administrative interference in their operations by the regulatory authorities.”

Participants at the meeting hailed the move towards self–regulation and said that the adoption of the PVO Amendment Bill will reduce the interference of regulating authorities. They said self-regulation is not a new phenomenon in the country as legal practitioners regulate themselves through the Law Association of Zimbabwe and the media does the same through the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe.

They also said the adoption of the PVO Amendment Bill addresses separation of powers and reduces the power of one individual in terms of acceptance and rejection of applications.

With more than 400 pieces of legislation due for alignment with the new constitution, there is need for NGOs to unite and push for the adoption for the amendment of the current PVO ACT. The Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) are some of the laws which are set to be reviewed and aligned with the new constitution.

Budget should benefit children – Junior Council

The Bulawayo Junior City Council has called on the city fathers to ensure that the 2014 local authority budget caters for children’s specific need. This came out at a workshop organised by NANGO for the Junior Council to interrogate the proposed council tariffs for 2014.

One of the major outcomes of the workshop was that the Junior Council managed to analyse the tariffs schedule and to come up with suggestions for alternative revenue sources to enable council to fund the Children’s 10 Point Plan.

Speaking at the workshop, the Junior Mayor, Mbonisi Ngubeni said children should be the major beneficiaries of the local budget. He also emphasized that council should introduce child-friendly desks in all its departments to ensure that children’s issues are mainstreamed.

“Children are the future of this country therefore they should be given priority in all of council’s business including the 2014 budget. We also call upon council departments to introduce child-friendly desks for easy access and interaction with children.” He said.

All in a day's work: Junior Councillors pose for a photo with NANGO
staff members after the workshop.

Other officials within the file and rank of the Junior Council echoed the Junior Mayor’s sentiments adding that the Children’s 10 Point Plan should be the guiding document for council in its intervention in children’s matters.

Commenting on council’s commitment to attending to children’s issues in an interview, the Mayor of the city of Bulawayo Martin K Moyo said children are an interest group for council.

“Children’s issues are very important for council to prioritize as they are not only part of the community today but also our future residents and city fathers,” he said.

The 2014 council has been dubbed as a stand still budget as it is still the same as that of 2013. This means that there are no changes in the tariffs in the coming year. However the junior council has suggested other means that council may explore to increase its revenue base and finance children’s issues.

Some of the suggested alternative revenue sources include the repossession of the Bulawayo power station by council, converting beer gardens into factory shops which can be rented at high rates as well as hastening the installation of prepaid water meters among others. 

Sandi scoops NANGO Lifetime Achievement Award

DP Foundation Director and former NANGO Chairperson, Mrs Mildred Sandi was at the end of 2013 bestowed with the NANGO Lifetime Achievement Award at the Directors’ Summer School in Kariba.

Sandi came tops ahead of other men and women who contributed a lot to NANGO as well as in the communities. As chairperson of NANGO, she spearheaded the setting up of five regional offices together with NANGO management.  

DP Foundation, led by “masalu” as she is affectionately known, also made an impact in the communities through providing psycho-social support.

Sandi is in the class of a few select individuals who were members of the Voluntary Organisation in Community Enterprise (VOICE) which later changed its name to NANGO in 1992.

Speaking at a colourful ceremony organised by NANGO Western Region in honour of her and other organisations that got awards at the summer school, Sandi who was in tears, thanked NANGO for the recognition.

“I would like to thank the organisers for the recognition, I dedicate this award to my late parents, my family and the region of Matabeleland,” she said.

She also paid tribute to her former co-board members and thanked them for their dedication to the cause of NGOs in the country.

Other organisations that walked away with awards are Habakkuk Trust (Community Development Award) and Bulawayo Agenda (NGO Communicator of the Year). Certificates were also handed to other former regional board members.

In the picture above, Mrs Sandi (right), poses for a photo with (from left) Calvin Dube, Robert Ndlovu and Patience Sibanda.