JOC comprises the heads of the police, army and the Zimbabwe Prison Services. It was the supreme organ for the coordination of state security – established by the Rhodesian government but preserved at independence in 1980.
In 2009, at the formation of the Government of National Unity, it was officially disbanded and replaced by a new national security council, but the generals have maintained it as a clandestine unit.
JOC is suspected to have been behind the systematic political violence that broke out ahead of the 2008 presidential run-off and claimed hundreds of lives. Hundreds of thousands of others were beaten, tortured and raped.
Sources within the NGO sector told The Zimbabwean that they were summoned by JOC officials and had “the riot act” read to them.
“We were ordered to explain all our operations and to desist from engaging in political activities,” said the source. “It appears that the situation is becoming tense ahead of the elections and this is going to impact negatively on our operations,” said the director of an NGO in Masvingo who requested anonymity.
Sources within JOC said that they had been ordered by President Robert Mugabe’s office to closely monitor all NGOs ahead of the polls, with the intention of “making sure that they do not campaign for other political parties”.
“As we approach elections, all NGOs will be under scrutiny because it has been discovered that Western countries are channeling financial resources to these NGOs in order to remove Zanu (PF) from power,” added the JOC source.
Masvingo Governor and Resident Minister Titus Maluleke recently issued a fresh warning to all NGOs operating in the province that they risk losing their operating licenses if they engage in politics.
The governor shocked the country last year when he banned 29 NGOs from operating in Masvingo, arguing that they had failed to comply with the laws of the land.
Post published in: News