SK Moyo threatens NGOs

ZANU-PF National Chairman Ambassador Simon Khaya yesterday warned that Government would not tolerate foreign-funded Non Governmental Organisations interfering in internal processes leading to the harmonised elections schedueld for later this year.

Ambassador Khaya Moyo said this during a courtesy call by US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Bruce Wharton at his offices at the Zanu-PF national headquarters.

"We have one problem that we always have as a country with the most NGOs, we have over 2 000 of them. We have a situation where everyone comes up in the morning and says I now have an NGO and this happens especially towards elections.

"You will be surprised how many will have come up (towards elections) just to make money and they receive that support from Western Goverments. I just hope NGOs will help themselves and keep away from exercises they have no competence over. You have some saying they want to take up voter education. What do they know about voter education," he said.

A number of Western-funded NGOs have mushroomed since the turn of the century and most of them have been accused of perpetuating the regime change agenda espoused by their financial backers.

Ambassador Khaya Moyo said the country was geared for a peaceful election this year.
"We are all geared for elections, peaceful elections with no violence of any kind. The President has been very consistent on that and he said that during the burial of our Vice President John Nkomo and he means it," he said.

The Zanu PF chairman also congratulated Ambassador Wharton on the re-election of President Barack Obama as leader of the US.

He reiterated that the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US were not justified and not serving anyone.

"We were taken aback when the US followed Britain to impose sanctions on us for something that we fought for and something that is rightfully ours.

"Britain reneged on its agreement (to fund land reforms) and then avoided the UN and went to the EU because they knew their actions were illegal. We had so much hope in President Obama, not that we have lost hope, but we thought the Democrats would pay more attention to our concerns. Up to now we still wonder why President Obama has maintained sanctions on us which have had devastating effects on our people," he said.

Ambassador Wharton said he would continue to work for the normalisation of relations between Zimbabwe and the US.

"It is my personal ambition to work with you and your people to move beyond that (sanctions) . . . It is my duty to interact with people like you and relay accurate information to policy makers in the US," he said.

"One of the things I wish to do is to bring policy makers from US to meet Zanu PF, other political parties and other policy makers so that they can view for themselves the progress you have made."  Ambassador Wharton urged Government and NGOs to work together to create mutual trust.

Meanwhile, Swizterland Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Lucciano Lavizzari also called on Ambassador Khaya Moyo where the Zanu PF chairman expressed his desire for the normalisation of ties between the two countries.

He said Switzerland whose policy of neutrality is admired by many observers should not have sided with Britain in imposing illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.