FOLLOWING ZANU PF’s landslide victory in the July 31 harmonised elections, Goal Zimbabwe, one of the principal drivers of the regime change agenda and an Irish funded local non-governmental organisation (NGO) is now indefinitely closing its operations after 11 years, The Patriot can exclusively reveal.
The closure is without notice and with no termination package for employees.
Information gathered by The Patriot this week shows that after failing to aid the MDC-T in dislodging President Robert Mugabe from power through their regime change activities in Zimbabwe over the past decade, funding has ‘dried up’ for a number of NGOs and the MDC-T as Western nations embark on the route of engagement.
During its period of operation, Goal Zimbabwe, an Irish ‘humanitarian’ organisation registered in Zimbabwe in 2002 constantly found itself contravening the country’s laws through direct engagement in political activities which at one time saw it campaigning for the MDC-T.
Impeccable sources who spoke to The Patriot this week said the organisation’s ‘leadership’ had resolved to dismiss more than 90 percent of staff without benefits.
Following a meeting held on October 11, at the organisation’s headquarters at 1 Lezard Avenue in Milton Park, the operations manager, Tawanda Husayihwevhu told more than 100 employees that the organisation was shutting down the majority of its operations with effect from end of this month.
Only eight employees, the country director Kelly McAulay, Jennifer Williams the financial controller, Tawanda Husayihwevhu the assistant senior director Operations, human resources coordinator, Pamela Muzenda and the senior operations manager, Joseph Kamuzhanje, the administrator, Taisekwa Chikanya, Jaison Chireshe and Vimbai Chishanu are not going to be affected by this instant retrenchment.
The country director and the human resources manager would be operating from the director’s house, 6 Lee Road in Kamfinsa, Greendale.
The remaining few employees were told to relocate to Rusape, where they are running a project of inputs similar to the one they ran in Nyanga which saw more than 1 000 villagers losing their hard earned money to the Irish organisation.
It was in Nyanga where Goal Zimbabwe torched a political storm by openly campaigning for the MDC-T.
Goal Zimbabwe’s sister NGO Concern Worldwide was also implicated in the distribution of radio sets in the rural areas which were meant for the regime change agenda.
The same organisation also allegedly duped 1 280 villagers of US$51 200 in Nyanga South last year after they told each villager to pay US$40 with the promise of US$120 for agricultural inputs which they never received.
Husayihwevhu, sources said, allegedly told the employees that there will not be any terminal benefits except for this month’s salaries.
Livid employees who spoke to The Patriot this week expressed disappointment over the manner in which management terminated their services without prior notice.
The employees have since approached the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare seeking redress.
In a memo to the directors, the employees expressed displeasure at the organisation’s failure to issue a notice to enable the workers to make alternative plans.
“If the agreed conditions of avoiding retrenchment did not work or change the situation, then the retrenchment option would have been applied,” reads the memo in part.
The employees blasted the organisation’s management for failing to consider their plight.
“It is saddening, disheartening and inhuman to learn that after such a ‘long’ marriage with dedicated individuals of various professions oiling the wheels of the organisation, the marriage just comes to an abrupt end and without prior adequate notice to the affected employees,” said one of the employees who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Patriot also gathered that the whole process was unprocedural since the organisation must have given notice to would-be affected individuals.
“After a year of continuous service at the same organisation under the fixed term contracts, our understanding is that one becomes permanent by the fact that the job is there and that is why there have been contract renewals for more than five years and to just be retrenched empty handed is rather inhuman for a humanitarian organisation,” said another disgruntled employee.
The human resources manager, Pamela Muzenda said she could not comment without the authority of her Irish superior who is currently out of the country.
“I am sorry I cannot comment on this case as I have to seek authority from the country director, Kelly McAulay who is currently out of the country,” said Muzenda.
But the director, according to sources, is in the country ‘hiding’ at her house in Greendale because times are really hard for the NGO.
Efforts to get a comment from her were fruitless.