HARARE, 1 May 2026 — On this Workers’ Day, the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Zimbabwe (NANGO) recognises that advancing Zimbabwe’s development is inseparable from protecting the people who drive it. As a coordinating platform representing the interests of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) operating across the country, NANGO affirms that a shrinking civic space is a direct threat not only to democratic participation, but to the working lives of development practitioners and Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) across the nation.
NANGO joins civil society, labour movements, and communities across Zimbabwe and the world in marking International Workers’ Day. We stand in solidarity with the development practitioners, community mobilisers, programme officers, field workers, legal aid providers, researchers, and human rights defenders who form the backbone of Zimbabwe’s civil society sector. These are the men and women whose work sustains communities, advances rights, and contributes meaningfully to national development. Today, we honour their labour and reaffirm our commitment to defending their rights.
Workers’ Day is a powerful reminder that every worker deserves dignity, fair compensation for services rendered, and protection from exploitation. For Zimbabwe’s civil society sector, this message is especially urgent. Development practitioners and HRDs are skilled professionals whose daily work sustains communities, upholds rights, and contributes to inclusive and sustainable national development. Yet they work in an increasingly difficult environment, where the narrowing of space for free expression, association, and peaceful assembly threatens both their personal safety and their ability to serve the communities that depend on them. Unlike many other workers, they carry a unique dual burden — navigating everyday employment challenges such as fair wages, job security, and safe working conditions, while also contending with an environment that can treat the very work they do as a threat. Arbitrary arrests, surveillance, intimidation, and restrictive laws not only harm individual workers; they weaken the entire civil society ecosystem that Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable people rely upon.
NANGO calls on all stakeholders to recognise that civic space and labour rights are deeply connected, and to work together towards an environment where development practitioners and HRDs can operate freely, safely, and effectively. In solidarity with labour movements, CSOs, and all citizens working towards a just and equitable society, NANGO reaffirms its commitment to advancing the rights, dignity, and protection of every worker within Zimbabwe’s civil society sector. To every development practitioner, human rights defender, community worker, and civic activist across Zimbabwe — your work matters, your contribution is valued, and your rights remain at the heart of everything we do.
About NANGO
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Zimbabwe (NANGO) is the apex body for NGOs in Zimbabwe, representing 893 active member organisations across all sectors and provinces. NANGO provides leadership in advocacy, coordination, and capacity strengthening to promote a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient civil society.
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Email: info@nangozim.org | Cell: +263 712 507 925