The Non-Governmental Organizations Regulatory Authority (NGORA) says 289 organizations have so far, made submissions of their audited financial reports for the year 2024, out of the country's 1239 non-state actors, representing 27%.

NGORA Registration and Reporting Manager, Thoko Chibwana, has disclosed this to Zodiak Online as days remain before time for the submissions elapse on 30 June.

However, he says the regulator remains optimistic that 65 percent of the NGO's will comply with the law, adding that inflow of the submissions has improved recently.

"We have a huge numbers in draft, draft means those who are in the process of making submissions. But then there are also organizations who are dormant and some have reduced operations due to funding issues," Chibwana stresses.

"Of course, there are variations between submission of the annual audit reports and renewal of licences, as since January 490 organizations have renewed thier licences."

He points out that after the June 30 deadline, NGORA will make an analysis on organizations that have been deregistered due to being dormant, or those that have reduced operations after being hit by funding challenges. 

Meanwhile, accountability and transparency commentator, Willy Kambwandira, has appealed to NGORA to be lenient in meting out penalties to defaulter organisations saying most of them have been affected by the pulling out of aid by some development partners.

"This is something NGORA can just sit down with the concerned organization, maybe it could be an issue of funding. An NGO that has no funding it could be difficult for them to hire an auditor," he says.

According to the NGO Act, non-compliant organizations to the law risk being deregistered.