Innocent Mujeri
The United States’ State Department, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has dangled US$105 million to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Zimbabwe, which they say is meant to promote democracy and good governance, media reforms and supporting devolution programmes.
However, independent analysts believe the funding is part of the ongoing maneuvers by the US to effect regime change in Zimbabwe using CSOs as its foot soldiers.
This publication is reliably informed that CSOs that purportedly deal with democracy and good governance in the country would get the large portion of US$70 million to sponsor its activities. Organisations that deal with devolution support programmes would get US$25 million, while those that deal with media reforms are earmarked to get US$10 million.
The CSOs have already started submitting their project proposals to USAID to oil their machinery before 2023 elections. However, it was reported that USAID has also started to scout for agencies that would supervise and monitor the use of the funds to curb abuse of same, which had previously become rampant.
A source privy to the details said USAID had already courted a New York-based company called East West Management Institute to oversee funding that would be disbursed to CSOs that purportedly are dealing with democracy and good governance activities.
A California-based media consultancy company that had previously worked in countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia purportedly to promote investigative journalism and the establishment of community radios, has been engaged to oversee and monitor CSOs that are advocating for media reforms in the country.
According to the same source, CSOs dealing with devolution programmes are to be supervised by a London-based DIA Europe Limited, a management consultancy company that reportedly had been operational in Zimbabwe since 2015.
Political analyst, Tashinga Chabaya, said that the funding from US to CSOs raised eyebrows as these NGOs always had a message that resonate with the opposition.
“By funding CSOs that are known to be sympathetic to the opposition’s cause, the USAID makes it clear that the objective of the funding is to effect regime change in the country,” said Chabaya.
He added that “The US wants to facilitate the penetration of the rural areas which they know are ZANU PF strongholds, under the guise of supporting devolution. This is the reason why you see a lot of interest in the MDC Alliance in rural mobilization.”
Financed to the tune of US$16 billion per year, USAID works closely with regime change agencies such as the National Endowment for Democracy and Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance to support the US foreign policy objectives by helping local partners to “advance peace and democracy whose programmes serve as catalysts for positive political change”.
