Harare — The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC), a civil society grouping that has operated for more than two decades, has announced the dissolution of its current organisational structure following a resolution adopted at its 16th Annual General Meeting held on 21 January 2026.
In a statement released after the meeting, the Coalition said its membership had “unanimously resolved” to dissolve the organisation’s existing structure with immediate effect, citing what it described as “intensifying repression, shrinking civic space, and the systematic use of the law to crush pro-democracy forces.” The statement added that the decision was intended to allow members to “deliberate on a renewed strategic direction.”
However, political analysts have linked the move to wider changes in the international funding and geopolitical environment, particularly developments in the United States that have significantly affected donor-supported civic organisations across Africa.
Former Cabinet minister and political analyst Professor Jonathan Moyo said the Coalition’s announcement reflected the collapse of a donor-driven model that had outlived its usefulness.
“It is deeply ironic that an organisation formed to confront what it termed a ‘crisis’ now dissolves itself on the grounds that the same crisis has intensified,” Moyo said. “This contradiction exposes the exhaustion of the crisis narrative itself.”
The last press release from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. 25 years later, we fold. Thank you #Zimbabwe Aluta Continua! pic.twitter.com/oD2dbh5Jxa
— Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (@crisiscoalition) January 21, 2026
Professor Moyo argued that the decision cannot be separated from recent policy shifts in Washington, where the administration of former US President Donald Trump moved to drastically cut funding to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), long regarded as the primary financier of governance and democracy programmes in countries such as Zimbabwe.
“The defunding and effective disbandment of USAID removed the financial oxygen that sustained many of these organisations,” he said. “Once the money tap was turned off, the structures inevitably collapsed.”
USAID has historically been a major conduit for US-funded civil society initiatives, including coalitions focused on governance, elections and political reform. The reduction and redirection of its funding under the Trump administration signalled a decisive shift away from what American policymakers themselves described as costly and ineffective democracy-promotion projects abroad.
Moyo further noted that the Coalition’s formation in 2001 coincided with the enactment of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA), legislation passed by the US Congress that underpinned a broader sanctions and pressure framework against Zimbabwe.
“With ZDERA now under review and donor priorities changing, the external scaffolding that supported the Crisis Coalition for 25 years has simply fallen away,” he said.
Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe Dissolves: Following the Crumble of Donor-Funded Crisis Fiction
Extract from attached Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe Presser:
“In light of the intensifying repression, shrinking civic space, and the systematic use of the law to crush pro-democracy… pic.twitter.com/EnGTLbo4nb— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) January 22, 2026
The Crisis Coalition was established at the height of Zimbabwe’s political and economic challenges and brought together a range of labour unions, churches, student movements and non-governmental organisations. Over time, it became closely associated with Western-funded governance and advocacy programmes.
Government has consistently maintained that while lawful civic engagement is welcome, some organisations have functioned as instruments of foreign policy, advancing external agendas under the banner of democracy and human rights.
Observers say the dissolution of the Coalition marks the end of an era for a particular brand of donor-funded activism, as Zimbabwe continues to prioritise national development, economic reform and political stability within the framework of its Constitution and laws.
As the global political climate evolves and external funding diminishes, analysts argue that civic organisations will be compelled to reassess their relevance, legitimacy and sources of support in a rapidly changing world.
