President Mnangagwa warns foreign missions against meddling in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe

Like any other State Party of the United Nations, the Zimbabwean State runs on three arms: the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. The Executive proposes laws which the Legislature then passes after intense lobbying and scrutiny.

Once passed, these laws come under the eagle eye of the Judiciary which, over and above interpreting them, also test them for compliance with our Constitution and other international precepts which Zimbabwe has ratified.

It is plainly clear Zimbabwe has within its domain all the arms and instruments for testing laws for compliance with its own Constitution, and with other international protocols.

It thus boggles the mind why some foreign Missions arrogate to themselves legislative or judicial powers in our country. Such acts of meddlesome misconduct undermine the exercise by the receiving State of its sovereign rights as apportioned and assigned on its territory. Such acts mean the receiving State can no longer claim monopoly on the design, development and choice of its legislative, economic, social and cultural policies. Much worse, it makes Foreign Missions little “States” within the sovereign State of Zimbabwe.

One piece of legislation which has drawn the unlawful involvement of such meddlesome Missions is our PVO Bill, which is under debate in our Parliament. The Bill seeks to straighten operations of NGOs whose mission must, at the very least, respect our sovereignty and national interest. Over years, a number of sending States have set up political NGOs in Zimbabwe which abuse the notion of rights advocacy to work for political outcomes which those sponsoring States prefer. Needless to say, this is gross interference in our affairs using proxies established, especially to skew our politics towards goals and interests of some sending States.

What raised our alarm is how the same NGOs are used, especially during election periods, as conduits for foreign funding to preferred political parties. Such NGOs thus become laundromats for washing such dirty and laundered foreign money. No State, least of all those offending States, can ever tolerate such illegalities whether under their national laws, the Vienna Convention or under several international protocols. The PVO Bill will become law once it goes through all the stages of our lawmaking process. It is our law. All Missions accredited here are required to respect that law, as they should the rest of our laws.

My Government remains committed to the policy of engagement and re-engagement. That policy which should be welcomed and embraced as positive by all Foreign Missions, makes us a constructive member of the United Nations to the extent that we seek genuine friendship and good relations with all peoples of the world.

However, our good naturedness and constructive intent should not be abused to meddle in our internal affairs, thus undermining our sovereignty. We will not hesitate to take appropriate measures against Missions who abuse our goodwill as a host State.

Going forward, we urge all Missions to familiarise themselves with provisions of the Vienna Convention which my Government will enforce to the letter.

All communication and interaction with our citizens or group of citizens should be conducted through our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which we set up precisely for that purpose.

Activities of all diplomatic missions in our country must be lawful and, in any case, help towards deepening cooperation and friendly relations with us.

By President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the Sunday Mail

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