NGOs with operations in Zimbabwe face increased scrutiny from the government, which has accused them of being behind an "orgy of violence" in demonstrations that broke out last month.
The mapping and profiling of NGOs is under way. The process has caused alarm among the organisations, which view the exercise as a new crackdown by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government against their work.
The ministry of public service, labour & social welfare is spearheading the process. Earlier this month, the ministry sent instructions to all its provincial offices requesting information on the operations of NGOs in their regions.
The information collated included the names, mandates, directors and funding partners of the NGOs, as well as their compliance with the country's laws.
The government estimates that there are 35,000 civic society groups and NGOs in Zimbabwe. However, this figure is disputed by representatives in the sector, who put it at 3,000.
Dewa Mavhinga, the southern Africa director of Human Rights Watch, told the Sunday Times the government had reverted to accusing NGOs of being merchants of regime change and violence in the country.
"The figure of 35,000 is somewhat exaggerated, there are about 3,000 according to the last count done by former finance minister Patrick Chinamasa in 2013. The NGO mapping exercise is aimed at clamping down on the organisations and we maintain that civil society organisations are legitimate and are an integral part of any democratic state. The NGOs are not a problem; the government must focus on real problems of corruption and bad governance and stop this blame game," said Mavhinga.
Blessing Vava, the regional co-ordinator of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an umbrella organisation for more than 200 civil society groups, said the clampdown was meant to silence and shut down organisations that were doing "excellent" work in holding the government to account and exposing human rights violations.
"It is a narrative that started with former president Robert Mugabe and it's continuing under the so-called new dispensation," said Vava.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, in its latest report on the human rights situation in the country, said more than 1,700 people had been assaulted by the military, 81 had been shot and 16 people had died since January 14.
Its report has angered the government.
In a television interview with French TV news channel France 24 on the sidelines of the AU summit in Addis Ababa this week, Mnangagwa absolved the military of any wrongdoing.
He said the NGOs must show authorities the graves of the people who they claimed were killed during protests last month.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), led by Namibian President Hage Geingob, this week weighed in with support for Mnangagwa. In a statement, SADC also pointed a finger at some internal groups, in particular NGOs, which it said continued with efforts to destabilise the country with support from external forces.
Movement for Democratic Change spokesperson Jacob Mafume said civil liberties in Zimbabwe were increasingly under attack, with the mapping exercise of the NGOs meant to further curtail freedom.
"It's paranoia. They are returning to Mugabeism. The organisations named are not working with us at all," said Mafume...