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NGOs face prosecution
The
Herald (Zimbabwe)
March 08, 2005
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id=41375&pubdate=2005-03-08
AT least 30 non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) have allegedly failed to account for more than US$88
million mobilised through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
after the Government made a consolidated appeal to the international community
for humanitarian assistance in 2003.
The Government has since written to the NGOs giving them March 11 as the
deadline by which they should have accounted for the money or face appropriate
action under the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Act.
The US$88,7 million was mobilised through the NGOs after international
donors had put in a condition that the money should not be handled by
the Government.
But the money is deemed public funds because it was raised on behalf of
the Government and the people of Zimbabwe.
Sources said the Government had approached the UNDP to inquire about the
total amount that had been raised after the consolidated appeal to the
international community.
It was advised that US$88 718 202 had been received and had been brought
into the country.
"As you may notice on the attached schedule, donors continue to respond
generously in providing assistance to the social sector in line with the
identified humanitarian needs in the country," said the then UNDP resident
representative, Mr Victor Angelo, in a letter to Cde Mangwana dated October
20 2004.
"The funding proposals in the social sector in January 2004 included nutrition
and targeted feeding, education, health, child protection, HIV/Aids, water
and sanitation, agriculture, mobile and vulnerable population and co-ordination."
According to the schedule sent to Cde Mangwana, the funding proposals
for the prioritised sectors amounted to US$95,5 million.
But by July 2004, the records indicated that the resources that had been
provided by the donors to the United Nations agencies and the NGOs, excluding
food aid, totalled US$88 718 202 between July 2003 and October 2004.
In December, Cde Mangwana wrote to the 36 NGOs asking them to account
for the money or face appropriate action, but only six managed to do so.
The rest failed while some were closing shop and their expatriate directors
were leaving the country.
Under the PVO Act, the minister can either suspend, launch an investigation
into the operations of an NGO or prosecute the offending organisation
or its directors for abusing public funds.
Some of the NGOs that the minister wrote to are German Agro Action, World
Vision, Goal, Help, Africare, Care, PSI, Advance Africa, Family Health,
FGI/Zapa, DHS, CRS Strive, IAA, JSI, Dai/Lead, Save the Children, Swedish
Co-operation Centre, Fost and Sahrit.
Sources said the money never reached the Reserve Bank and there were fears
that some of it could have been channelled to the MDC or sold on the black
market.
Cde Mangwana was this week expected to meet with the UNDP resident representative
over the issue.
The allegations of donor fund abuse by NGOs have come a few months after
the Non-Governmental Organisations Bill, which will control the operations
of NGOs, was passed by Parliament last December.
The Bill seeks to provide for an enabling environment for the operations,
monitoring and regulation of NGOs.
Defending the Bill in Parliament last year, Cde Mangwana said NGOs must
be regulated to ensure they are accountable.
He said some individuals had set up NGOs for purely selfish ends like
personal gain and would naturally be averse to accountability.
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