The
Act,
published
in
the
Government
Gazette
on
April
11
as
Act
1
of
2025,
is
meant
to
overhaul
Zimbabwe’s
regulation
of
non-governmental
organisations.
However,
Veritas
contends
that
what
was
published
does
not
reflect
what
was
actually
approved
by
both
Houses
of
Parliament.
“In
light
of
these
discrepancies,
the
amendment
Act
cannot
be
regarded
as
an
accurate
reflection
of
the
Bill
that
was
passed
by
the
Senate,”
Veritas
said
in
a
legal
analysis.
“This
effectively
invalidates
it
because
it
does
not
represent
the
will
of
Parliament.”
Among
the
discrepancies
cited
are
the
insertion
of
a
preamble
and
a
long
title
in
the
gazetted
Act
that
were
never
debated
or
passed
in
the
Senate,
as
well
as
changes
to
the
definition
of
the
PVO
Board
and
registration
timelines
for
organisations.
The
Senate
Bill,
for
instance,
proposed
abolishing
the
PVO
Board
entirely,
yet
the
gazetted
Act
introduces
a
new
structure
for
it.
Veritas
explained
that
under
section
131
of
the
Constitution,
the
same
Bill
must
be
passed
by
both
the
National
Assembly
and
the
Senate
before
it
can
be
signed
into
law
by
the
President
and
gazetted.
“Clearly
that
did
not
happen
in
the
case
of
the
PVO
Amendment
Act,”
Veritas
stated,
adding
that
“the
Act
is
invalid.”
This
is
not
the
first
time
procedural
irregularities
have
marred
the
Bill’s
legislative
path.
In
2024,
Veritas
flagged
similar
inconsistencies,
leading
to
the
President
recommitting
the
Bill
to
the
Senate.
The
watchdog
has
published
both
the
Senate
version
of
the
Bill
and
a
consolidated
version
of
the
PVO
Act
on
its
website
for
public
reference.
Post
published
in:
Featured