{"id":815,"date":"2019-06-21T08:58:01","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T08:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marumeandfuridzo.com\/?p=815"},"modified":"2024-01-06T06:49:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T06:49:20","slug":"registration-of-private-voluntary-organizations-in-zimbabwe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.marumeandfuridzo.com\/registration-of-private-voluntary-organizations-in-zimbabwe\/","title":{"rendered":"Registration of Private Voluntary Organizations in Zimbabwe"},"content":{"rendered":"
Non- Governmental organizations (NGOs) and other charity organizations in Zimbabwe can operate as Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO). The registration of the PVOs is regulated by the Private Voluntary Organizations Act (Chapter 17:05).<\/strong><\/p>\n Section 2 of the said Act defines a PVO as follows;<\/p>\n \u201cprivate voluntary organization\u201d means any body or association of persons, corporate or unincorporate, or any institution, the objects of which include or are one or more of the following\u2014<\/p>\n (a<\/em>) the provision of all or any of the material, mental, physical or social needs of persons or families;<\/p>\n (b<\/em>) the rendering of charity to persons or families in distress;<\/p>\n (c<\/em>) the prevention of social distress or destitution of persons or families;<\/p>\n (d<\/em>) the provision of assistance in, or promotion of, activities aimed at uplifting the standard of living of persons or families;<\/p>\n (e<\/em>) the provision of funds for legal aid;<\/p>\n (f<\/em>) the prevention of cruelty to, or the promotion of the welfare of, animals;<\/p>\n (g<\/em>) such other objects as may be prescribed;<\/p>\n (h<\/em>) the collection of contributions for any of the foregoing;\u201d<\/p>\n The Act also establishes a board called the Private Voluntary Organizations Board which is appointed to consider and determine every application for registration and every proposed<\/p>\n cancellation or amendment of a certificate of registration, to hear representations by any association, organization or institution claiming entitlement to be registered as a private voluntary organization and to advise the Minister and registered private voluntary organizations in respect of any matter arising out of the administration or operation of the Act or any other matter referred to it by the Minister or the Registrar.<\/p>\n The law makes it peremptory for every PVO to register before it commences its activities or seek any financial assistance from any source and any contravention of these provisions constitute a criminal offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment or both. See Section 6.<\/p>\n The registration steps are as follows;<\/p>\n The legislature further requires that international organizations applying for registration as PVOs should have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the relevant government ministries in their area of technical operations. The signed copy of the MOU is submitted to the Registrar together with the following:<\/p>\n The PVO board may at any time cancel and\/or amend the registration certificate on the following grounds among other things; if any remuneration or reward, which in his opinion is excessive in relation to the total value of the contributions received by the organization concerned, has been retained or received by any person other than a person for whose benefit the contributions were intended; or if the organization has failed to comply with any condition of its registration; or if the organization has ceased to function as a private voluntary organization; or if he considers that the objects in respect of which the organization was registered are merely ancillary or incidental to the other objects of the organization etc.<\/p>\n Before any cancellation or amendment is made the Registrar of PVO shall cause written notice of his intention to do so to be given to the secretary of the organization concerned and shall afford him a reasonable opportunity of showing cause why the certificate should not be so cancelled or amended.<\/p>\n The contents of this article are for general information purposes only and do not constitute our legal or professional advice. We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage of whatsoever nature which may arise from reliance on any of the information published herein.<\/p>\n\n
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