The government of Zimbabwe has issued a warning against ‘foreign agents’ who try to entice and recruit students into engaging in homosexual activities using educational scholarships, with Zimbabwean officials declaring that the southern African nation ‘firmly opposes’ such efforts.

Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga stated that providing financial support to LGBTQ individuals in the learning institutes within the country would be deemed unlawful and a punishable crime.

According to reports, the government issued such statement following an online ad from GALZ, a group representing LGBTQ individuals in Zimbabwe, which sought applicants for the ‘Munhu Munhu’ scholarship program. The program, established in 2018, offers comprehensive financial support including tuition, housing, and related costs for gay individuals aged 18 to 35 pursuing degrees in democracy, governance, justice, human rights, and conflict resolution at Zimbabwean state colleges.

Chiwenga expressed his vehement opposition to the GALZ declaration, stating that the country’s government considers LGBTQ scholarship opportunities a ploy that aims to lure Zimbabwe’s underprivileged yet capable students into engaging in homosexuality as a direct affront to its power.

Zimbabwean Vice President stated that the country’s schools and higher education institutions will not consider or accept individuals connected to these foreign, anti-life, anti-African, and unchristian beliefs. He emphasized that Zimbabwe, as an independent African nation, upholds specific laws and values that distinguish it from other countries and their cultural norms.

Chiwenga emphasized the importance of young people not succumbing to the allure of abominable and devilish proposals that may lead them to compromise their integrity, adding that the government in Harare will be decisive in implementing national laws and will not hesitate to do so.

On Friday, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum told the Associated Press that the government’s response to the GALZ scholarship scheme demonstrated that sexual and gender minorities are under threat in the former British colony.

According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, the response of the Zimbabwean government to the GALZ scholarship program indicates the endangerment faced by sexual and gender minorities in the ex-British colony.

Wilbert Mandinde, the programs coordinator of the NGO, expressed great concern over the statement made by the second-highest office in the country. He emphasized that the statement showed intolerance, particularly considering the numerous opportunities the advertisement provides for young people.

For over 20 years, the landlocked nation has faced sanctions from the US and EU due to accusations of violating human rights. According to the Criminal Law Act of 2006, that triggered sanctions from the United States and European Union over the human rights violations, same-sex sexual relations are prohibited in the landlocked Souther Africa country. Offenders can be sentenced to a maximum of one year in prison and fined.

During his 37-year rule, Robert Mugabe, the former dictator of Zimbabwe, consistently expressed derogatory views towards LGBTQ individuals, likening them to dogs and pigs, and denying them basic legal rights. Mugabe, who has since passed away, also accused Western leaders of exerting pressure on Africa to embrace homosexuality.