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Mr Charamba

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
The European Union is indeed funding some shadowy political non-governmental organisations through its $5 million facility released recently, and claims by the bloc that there is a subsisting agreement with the Government of Zimbabwe to that effect are sheer grandstanding. After the release of the money, Government said it was watching with keen interest the political mischief that the EU was trying to foment via that fund.

In response, the EU claimed that all it was doing was fulfilling a long-standing agreement signed with the Government of Zimbabwe in 2015.

Even though an agreement (the National Indicative Programme 2014-2020) was in place, what is not explained by the EU is why they were holding onto the bigger chunk of the money two years after the signing of the agreement, only to be released on the eve of the elections.

Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Secretary Mr George Charamba, said the disbursement was conveniently delayed to coincide with Zimbabwe’s elections.

He said this was after a realisation by the EU and other Western governments through an audit report that the local political non-governmental organisations were abusing their funding.

“The EU representative (Philippe Van Damme) must not try and be clever by half,” he said.

“He must remember he is dealing with a Government, which has lots of brains unless he thinks thinking is a prerogative of the Europeans in which case he is a racist. The agreement was finalised in 2014 and signed early 2015. The monies for disbursements under that agreement have been available since 2015 and indeed disbursements were made, except only in areas which were of low political value to the EU. Monies related to political NGOs were kept in the kitty strategically for disbursement in 2017 — that is under a year to elections. One has to be very dumb to think that this was sheer European slothfulness.

“Quite to the contrary, it was a calculated delay meant to ensure fresh resources to the political NGOs as near enough to the electoral year as was possible. In any case, given the despicable goings on in their political NGOs, including misuse of funds, the Europeans were not too keen to release these resources well ahead of election year. Is it not a fact that together with other Western governments, these embassies are holding on to a damning audit report on how their regime change funds were abused by their political NGOs fearing that a complaint to Government or a release of the report would expose their political wheeling and dealing. Unfortunately for them, we have always been miles ahead of them and we know.”

After being exposed that its funding was being abused, the EU went on to fund some obscure organisations run by Zimbabwean students in South Africa called Institute for Public Affairs in Zimbabwe to criticise Government.

The organisation is run by Tamuka Chirimambowa and Tinashe Chimedza, who also happened to be its only members.

Commenting on this sloppy and blinded strategy, Mr Charamba said: “It is the height of insult to me personally and to the Zimbabwean Government to set on me little boys studying at the University of Johannesburg (in South Africa) and running some phoney NGO which the EU funds hoping to cloud issues.

“It is the old divide and rule tactic, which unfortunately has seen its better days. It also must be remembered by right thinking Zimbabweans that the fact of the EU funding agriculture and health should not create any illusions of good will. After all, the Europeans were correcting themselves after high handedly putting Zimbabwe under Chapter 96 of Cotonou Agreement and punishing it with illegal sanctions.

“But also, when you consider what they hope to win through their regime change politics, namely our rich minerals, the little monies they voted and which about they make so much noise are but a paltry thin end of the wedge.”

In part of the statement announcing the release of the funds early this month, the EU said: “The European Union in Zimbabwe has strengthened its support to civil society with a fresh call for proposals to promote democratic participation, good governance and accountability as well as dialogue amongst the different stakeholders in the country.

“In total, the EU provides 5 million EUR (5,315,000 USD) for proposals that address one of the two specific objectives.”