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Takudzwa Chiwereweshe Mutare Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has urged civic organisations to operate within their mandate and avoid creating parallel structures to enhance better co-ordination and delivery of humanitarian assistance to intended beneficiaries.

Speaking during a meeting with provincial heads of development partners, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Monica Mutsvangwa said there was need for civic society to continuously complement Government efforts.

“Government and civic society need to continuously work together to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance. It is the responsibility of Government to create an enabling environment for civic society but they have to operate within their mandate,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa added that civic organisations should not create parallel structures, as doing so would create confusion.

“It is important for civic organisations to operate within their mandate so that Government fights in their corner when they have problems. We have received reports of organisations operating outside their mandate with some encroaching into areas over which they have no jurisdiction.

“Consequently, we now have areas that are oversubscribed and by that I mean we now have development partners concentrated in particular areas whilst others with the same needs are being neglected,” added Minister Mutsvangwa.

Provincial administrator Mr Edgars Seenza also added his voice saying civic organisations and Government needed to work together and create partnerships that will go a long way in addressing socio-cultural and economic challenges facing the province.

“There is need for better co-ordination of services in the province to regularise operations and bridge the gap between the public and private sector.

“We have civic organisations encroaching into territories that they have not been given permission to operate in,” observed Mr Seenza.

He said such a trend had seen areas like Chipinge boasting the highest number of development organisations helping them yet more were still seeking approval to operate  there.

“There is need for civic organisations to branch out and target other areas that are marginalised or neg lected.”

He urged civic organisations to register as private voluntary organisations and trustees so that they can familiarise themselves with the operational guiding principles as well as use Government operations, approaches and strategies as a benchmark for their operations and activities.

“You need to follow approaches and strategies being used by Government in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Setting up of parallel structures to Government is unacceptable and we will not hesitate to suspend or terminate the operations of organisations that do so,” Mr Seenza said.

He also advised civic organisations that where it is imperative for non-government organisations to engage traditional leaders they are expected to do so through the Ministry of Local Government or the provincial administrator.