The Bill is intended to criminalise contact with foreign governments as well as connivance with hostile countries and false statements about the country, according to Network Africa Germany.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs secretary Virginia Mabhiza stated that the proposed legislation was based on the country’s constitutional foreign policy, which promotes and protects the national interest.
This law seems to be an attempt to finally suppress the audible opposition, which protests against the disastrous state of the economy with its hyperinflation, lack of structural reform, corruption and above all, increasing human rights violations. Kidnapping and torture of activists has increased alarmingly. A planned opposition demo on the 31st July was frustrated by harsh security force action preventing freedom of movement and arrests. It was claimed to counter transgressions against Corona-19 measures. In September former Mugabe supporters were threatened, as they were alleged to have influenced the South African government to take a tough line with Zimbabwe.
The 77year-old President with his Zanu-PF Party appears to march towards a one-party state, which had eluded his predecessor and mentor Robert Mugabe in his lifetime and whom he replaced in 2017 thanks to the army’s coup.
The Bill is claimed as having been „inspired“ by the obscure American „Logan law“ of 1799, which had been passed after a Philadelphia Quaker George Logan had tried to negotiate with France on his own. Only two were ever accused and acquitted under this Act. In 2017 it made headlines in connection with President Trump’s former National Security advisor Michael Flynn. The latter was later convicted of lying, only to be pardoned by the President. At the time Trump had used ‘Logan’ as a partisan weapon in diplomacy in his usual manner.
The cabinet has approved the Bill…