News / National
Zimbabwe police warns NGOs
26 Feb 2013 at 05:57hrs | Views
Police yesterday warned NGOs against flouting their mandates by distributing radios and other communications equipment that are being illegally brought into the country. Deputy
Commissioner-General Innocent Matibiri said the law enforcement agents would continue to arrest those responsible and confiscate such devices.
Dep Comm-Gen Matibiri said this when he appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs to apprise it on the police's state of preparedness ahead of the constitution referendum and harmonised elections.
"It is not about the type of gadgets but it is about how they have been entering the country and the motive behind that. What we do is to look at the legal provisions on how NGOs must operate and every time an NGO goes out of that framework the police are bound to act.
"Whenever we are convinced that some NGOs are up to no good we definitely act but we are not saying all the NGOs, but some of them," he said.
He questioned the sincerity of the NGOs in distributing radios and other communication devices.
"We are very clear minded to the intentions of NGOs.
"The stampede by some of the NGOs is a cause for concern that is why I said their existence poses a serious threat to the security of the country," he said.
"Some have said they are meant to facilitate people have access to Studio 7 but as you know the GPA signed by the principals say that is illegal so when you have gadgets to facilitate something that is illegal don't expect us to fold our arms," he said.
Zimbabwe Peace Project led by Jestina Mukoko has been fingered in a suspected espionage case after police confiscated documents and communication devices it was distributing to its recruits countrywide.
Meanwhile, a group of civic organisations and individuals has accused Copac of outstepping its mandate through embarking on what it called a biased vote "yes" campaign.
Zimbabwe National Students Union, National Constitutional Assembly, Medical and Professional Allied Workers' Union of Zimbabwe, International Socialist Organisation and some individuals, Raymond Majongwe, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Hilllary Jana and Madock Chivasa, have written to ZEC to stop Copac from conducting voter education.
Harare lawyer Mr Caleb Mucheche of Matsikidze and Mucheche Legal Practitioners wrote the letter on behalf of the group yesterday.
The letter was delivered to Copac and ZEC the same day.
The group seeks to implore ZEC to invoke Section 15 B(2) of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Act to ensure that Copac refrains from conducting voter education which it says, is unfairly biased against the "No" vote group.
They also seek to implore ZEC to compel equal media coverage to both the "No" vote and the "Yes" vote groups.
It is the group's argument that Copac's role was to produce the draft constitution and allow the citizens to vote freely without undue influence.
Commissioner-General Innocent Matibiri said the law enforcement agents would continue to arrest those responsible and confiscate such devices.
Dep Comm-Gen Matibiri said this when he appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs to apprise it on the police's state of preparedness ahead of the constitution referendum and harmonised elections.
"It is not about the type of gadgets but it is about how they have been entering the country and the motive behind that. What we do is to look at the legal provisions on how NGOs must operate and every time an NGO goes out of that framework the police are bound to act.
"Whenever we are convinced that some NGOs are up to no good we definitely act but we are not saying all the NGOs, but some of them," he said.
He questioned the sincerity of the NGOs in distributing radios and other communication devices.
"We are very clear minded to the intentions of NGOs.
"The stampede by some of the NGOs is a cause for concern that is why I said their existence poses a serious threat to the security of the country," he said.
"Some have said they are meant to facilitate people have access to Studio 7 but as you know the GPA signed by the principals say that is illegal so when you have gadgets to facilitate something that is illegal don't expect us to fold our arms," he said.
Zimbabwe Peace Project led by Jestina Mukoko has been fingered in a suspected espionage case after police confiscated documents and communication devices it was distributing to its recruits countrywide.
Meanwhile, a group of civic organisations and individuals has accused Copac of outstepping its mandate through embarking on what it called a biased vote "yes" campaign.
Zimbabwe National Students Union, National Constitutional Assembly, Medical and Professional Allied Workers' Union of Zimbabwe, International Socialist Organisation and some individuals, Raymond Majongwe, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Hilllary Jana and Madock Chivasa, have written to ZEC to stop Copac from conducting voter education.
Harare lawyer Mr Caleb Mucheche of Matsikidze and Mucheche Legal Practitioners wrote the letter on behalf of the group yesterday.
The letter was delivered to Copac and ZEC the same day.
The group seeks to implore ZEC to invoke Section 15 B(2) of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Act to ensure that Copac refrains from conducting voter education which it says, is unfairly biased against the "No" vote group.
They also seek to implore ZEC to compel equal media coverage to both the "No" vote and the "Yes" vote groups.
It is the group's argument that Copac's role was to produce the draft constitution and allow the citizens to vote freely without undue influence.
Source - TH
