Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa’s crackdown on civil society mirrors Mugabe’s era
By
Michelle Chifamba
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Posted on
December 1, 2021 12:04
At the dawn of his presidency, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa promised a new era marked by rule of law, democracy and good governance. When the military deposed Robert Mugabe in 2017 after 40 years of authoritarian leadership, Zimbabweans hoped that his legacy of political violence, repressive laws and restrictions on freedom of expression and association would disappear with him. However, four years on, civil society spaces are once again under attack.
Since Mnangagwa’s ascent to power, his government has introduced a flurry of restrictive measures, including the Patriotic Bill and the Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill, which critics say restrict freedom of expression. He’s now pushing a new measure, the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill, that once again has the civil society worried.