via Potraz raids humanitarian NGO – The Zimbabwean 17 June 2015
Agents from the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) today raided the offices of the Southern Africa Crises Management Agency (SACMA) at Trafalgar Court in Harare.
According to a statement by SACMA, Potraz confiscated documents relating to the operations of the non-profit organisation.
SACMA is a humanitarian organisation that runs and coordinates initiatives in the areas of disaster and risk mitigation.
The organisation also runs an internet platform that seeks to intensifying people’s voices in the service delivery area, thereby creating platforms for social contracts with the political and civic leaders.
All documents regarding the running of this platform appears to be the target of this raid.
“The agents outside claiming to have been in the employ of the Potraz, were in possession of Identity cards from the Home Affairs ICT Department.
“We fear that this is a government ploy to intimidate, decimate and silence civil society organisations in Zimbabwe, especially those that work with grassroots communities in areas of service delivery.
“We condemn this strong arm approach in dealing with the CSOs and believe that the government and all its agents will seek to engage the sector in areas of operations than to be intimidatory,” said SACMA.
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