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CSOs deplore extortion by local authorities
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
February 29, 2012

Civil Society Orgnaisations Coalitions today, 29 February 2012 held a media conference deploring the extortion of NGOs by local authorities who demanding between USD 100 and USD1,000 for orgnanisations to receive Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) to operate in different provinces.

'Specifically, these local authorities are charging NGOs amounts ranging from USD100, USD300 and up to USD 1,000 per year in order to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with an individual NGO. Where an organisation refuses to pay the amount , no MOU will be granted and their activities will not be allowed to proceed ,' said the statement read by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Director, Ms Irene Petras.

It was further noted that NGOs are not legally mandated to sign MOUs with local authorities butwith Ministries of and Government Agencies. 'Local authorities are neither Ministries nor Government Agencies and they do not have any legal authority to negotiate, conclude and attest to MOUs with NGOs, especially the District Administrators who appear to have become a law unto themselves in several areas around the country.'

The representatives of CSOs that is; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, ZLHR and Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum called upon affected organisations to report the matter to lawyers, authorities and the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zimbabwe.

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