Senate passes PVO Bill

The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Amendment Bill, which has been criticized by opposition parties and civic groups for muzzling government critics and narrowing democratic space, has gone a step closer to becoming law after sailing through the Senate. It now awaits Presidential accent to become law.Opposition legislators and human rights activists want the controversial Bill canned amid fears that if passed into law in its current state will further shrink the country’s democratic space and lead to closure of several NGOs perceived as anti-government.However, in supporting the Bill, Zanu PF legislators described the Bill as a necessary tool to whip ‘rogue’ NGOs and CSOs into line.