This follows comments by Bulawayo Governor and Resident Minister, Cain Mathema, on Monday that CSOs operating in the province are being funded by the British and Americans as part of the regime change agenda.
Mathema finger pointed CSs such as the Bulawayo Agenda, Radio Dialogue and the Catholic Commission on Justice and Peace (CCJP) which he labeled as "spy organisations" that work against the people.
He accused the CSOs of causing divisions and promoting tribalism.
In a statement released yesterday, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition spokesperson, Thabani Nyoni, said: "What Cde Mathema has said is not a new accusation, neither is the advocacy for banning NGOs new in Zanu
(PF) circles. I know that the millions of communities we serve and work with on a daily basis know who we are and what we are about."
The Secretary General of National Association of Non-governmental Organisations, Michael Mabwe, said Mathema's accusations could be part of a well calculated plan to descend on CSOs in the country's ten provinces.
"First it was Governor Titus Maluleke of Masvingo who wanted to ban NGOs from operating in the province, now it is Cain Mathema. Very soon, we will see a stampede of governors seeking to outdo each other in banning legitimate activities of our members within the NGO fraternity in different provinces.
"They will all accuse NGOs of one thing or the other, on top of which will be that our members are working for a regime change agenda. For the record, regime change in a constitutional democracy is a legitimate exercise if not a legitimate expectation," said Mabwe.
In February 2012, Masvingo Governor, Titus Maluleke banned 29 Non-Governmental Organisations in the province.
In March this year, Maluleke summoned 45 NGs to his offices where he imposed wide-ranging restrictions on their work.
Post published in: News