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Mugabe party calls for crackdown on 'hostile' NGOs
Stella Mapenzauswa, Reuters
December 11, 2005

http://za.today.reuters.com/news/

ESIGODINI, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's ruling party has recommended a crackdown on Western-sponsored groups hostile to President Robert Mugabe and asked security forces to make a list of people whose passports should be seized.

On the last day of its annual conference on Saturday, Mugabe's ZANU-PF party adopted a central committee report that recommended government action against non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civic groups allied to the opposition.

"The opposition is also grouped in the form of NGOs and civic groups, all sponsored by the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union," it said. "Stern action shall be taken against them."

Senior ZANU-PF officials refused to discuss any details.

Last year the ruling party passed legislation that banned foreign funding for local rights groups and tightened the registration of other NGOs.

Analysts say Mugabe did not sign the bill into law as Zimbabwe badly needs aid from NGOs as it struggles with food and fuel shortages.

Critics charge Mugabe -- Zimbabwe's sole ruler since independence from Britain 25 years ago -- has plunged one of Africa's most promising countries into a deep political and economic crisis through controversial policies.

Mugabe has blamed Zimbabwe's problems on sabotage by opponents of his drive to redistribute white-owned farms among blacks and sanctions imposed on the country by the West.

Despite its firm political grip on the southern African country, Mugabe's government still feels insecure and has imposed tough media and security laws to police its opponents, analysts say.

This week Zimbabwe security agents seized the passports of a top opposition figure and of the country's leading private newspaper publisher under a controversial law allowing the government to bar travel by "traitors".

A resolution adopted by the ZANU-PF conference on Saturday, welcomed moves to withdraw passports of people "who go around demonising the country" and to implement the law right away.

"We want the security forces to draw up a list of such people so that their passports can be withdrawn," it said.

ECONOMY, FACTIONALISM

ZANU-PF wrapped up its two-day congress in the southwestern Esigodini district on Saturday night secure in its political domination. But it faces the daunting task of pulling the economy out of crisis and overcoming factionalism over Mugabe's likely successor on his expected retirement in 2008.

When he opened the conference, and in the wake of a Senate victory last month, Mugabe said on Friday his party was growing "higher and higher, bigger and bigger, stronger and stronger".

But in his closing speech, the Zimbabwean president acknowledged there was a wide gap between making verbal resolutions on the economy and acting them out.

"There are serious shortcomings in government planning and steps will have to be taken to correct them," he said.

He also conceded some party officials were involved in corrupt activities such as black market foreign currency trade.

Others had seized more than one farm for themselves in abuse of the land reforms, which critics blame for food shortages that have plagued Africa's former breadbasket for five years.

"That greed is untenable and some of our leaders are guilty of that. Bring cases of that kind of greed to us and we will correct them," Mugabe said.

Analysts also say Mugabe is fighting to stamp out remaining party tensions over his selection last year of Joyce Mujuru as vice president -- which put her first in line for the top job after Mugabe's expected retirement in 2008.

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