Zimbabwe’s parliament has outlawed criticism of the government ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in August, with violations of a new law punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

The Criminal Law Code Amendment Bill, widely known as the Patriotic Bill, contains a clause that criminalises “wilfully damaging the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe”.

Opposition activists said the law, passed late on Wednesday, was designed to punish citizens, civil society organisations and political adversaries of the ruling Zanu-PF party.

It has raised fears that the government could launch a crackdown on dissent ahead of the general election on Aug 23 at which Emmerson Mnangagwa aims to secure a second term as president. 

Main rival 

The 80-year-old’s main rival is Nelson Chamisa, 45, a lawyer and pastor who leads the new Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

Fadzayi Mahere, CCC spokesman and lawyer, described the law as “dangerous” and said it was aimed at closing the democratic space ahead of elections.

“Zanu-PF has reduced our great nation into an outpost of tyranny,” Mahere told Reuters.

“None of it will work because Zimbabweans go to the polls with one mission - to win Zimbabwe for change. No amount of panicky despotism by Zanu will stand in the way of change whose time has come.”

A Zanu-PF spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Telegraph

Kenyans borrowed an extra Sh11 billion between February and May from the Hustler Fund highlighting the thirst for cheap credit, which prompted the State to launch a third phase of the facility now targeting chamas.

President William Ruto, On Thursday, launched the Hustler Fund for groups, seeking to provide cash mainly to informal traders who must register as a group to qualify for the kitty. 

He spoke in Embu County during this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations.

Read: Hustler Fund loans hit Sh19bn in three months

The launch came on the day the Head of State announced that Kenyans have so far borrowed Sh30 billion, up from Sh19.6 billion accessed as of mid-February.

The first phase of the Hustler Fund was launched on November 30 last year as the new administration moved in to ease access to credit by individuals, albeit small amounts from as low as Sh500 to a high of Sh50,000. 

In March this year, the Head of State launched a remodelled Hustler Fund that has Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) and the microloan product.

“The total number of digital transactions now stands at 42.5 million through which 20.2 million Kenyans have accessed nearly Sh30 billion, and repaid Sh19.7 billion, with seven million being repeat customers,” Dr Ruto said in his Madaraka Day speech.

The President did not disclose the number of borrowers who have defaulted, months after the State first admitted that some beneficiaries had shown signs of distress.

Read: M-Akiba bond to be revived using Hustler Fund savings

The interest rate for the Hustler Fund for chamas remains undisclosed. The interest rate for the one targeting women is seven percent while that for individual loans launched last year in November is eight percent.

The rates are calculated on a pro-rata basis. Details on the minimum amount that groups can borrow, however, remain scanty. By LYNET IGADWAH, Business Daily

Zimbabwe's national elections will take place on Aug. 23, the country's president announced Wednesday. The vote is expected to be another closely watched affair in a country with a history of violent and disputed elections.

The announcement through a government gazette also set Oct. 2 for a presidential runoff vote if required. 

Opposition parties have already made allegations of violence and intimidation against their supporters in the buildup to the elections, and human rights groups have said President Emmerson Mnangagwa is silencing criticism.

The southern African nation has only had two leaders since it gained independence from white minority rule in 1980. Robert Mugabe led Zimbabwe for 37 years until he was removed and replaced by Mnangagwa in a coup in 2017. Mnangagwa had served as a vice president under Mugabe.

The last general election was held in 2018, nearly a year after the coup.

Once a close ally of Mugabe, Mnangagwa, 80, has tried to present himself as a reformer despite accusations that he is even more repressive than the man he helped remove from power.

Mnangagwa is expected to face a strong challenge from Nelson Chamisa, the 45-year-old leader of the main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change. Chamisa narrowly lost to Mnangagwa in 2018, with the Constitutional Court dismissing his claims of election rigging.

Apart from the presidency, the election will also decide the composition of the 300-seat parliament and close to 2,000 local council positions. 

Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF ruling party and the government have denied allegations of violence and intimidation by ruling party activists and security forces. But rights groups have accused Mnangagwa’s government of intimidation and of suppressing any criticism and opposition amid a currency crisis and a sharp rise in food prices.

Zimbabwe has faced severe economic problems for years and has been under U.S. sanctions for two decades over human rights abuses. Mugabe died in 2019. 

Chamisa said this week he is ready for the election, but has made allegations of voting roll irregularities. Compounding that, Chamisa said his party is at a disadvantage because Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF control state–run media and hold sway over the police, other security forces and the judiciary, which are used to clamp down on dissent.

On Wednesday, Fadzayi Mahere, spokeswoman for the Citizens Coalition for Change, tweeted: “No govt that’s popular & knows it’s winning behaves like this. They’re terrified cause, like all of us, they know that ZANU PF can never win a free & fair election in Zimbabwe."

"That’s why they’re trying to stitch & doctor the voters’ roll but it won’t work. People want change.”

Opposition parties had accused Mnangagwa of delaying announcing a date for the election that must take place before the end of August.

Mnangagwa's announcement came a day after Zimbabwe's foreign ministry summoned the United States’ deputy ambassador over a series of tweets the embassy sent calling for a peaceful election.

The ministry accused the embassy of “election-related social media posts bordering on activism and meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.”

Deputy Ambassador Elaine French was called to a meeting with Zimbabwe foreign affairs acting permanent secretary Rofina Chikava on Tuesday following the posts on the U.S. Embassy's official Twitter account.

The Zimbabwe foreign ministry said it had a particular issue with a May 26 tweet that called for Zimbabweans to “Register to vote and make sure your voice is heard.” Another tweet from the embassy said “Zimbabwe’s constitution grants citizens the right to choose their representatives in legitimate, credible, & peaceful elections.”

The foreign ministry said the tweet urging people to register to vote was against diplomatic protocols.

“We stand by our recent social media posts calling for peace during the election season," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Meg Riggs said in a statement. “Elections are a part of a functioning democracy.” By Farai Mutsaka, The Independent