By Farai Banda| The EU’s top envoy to Zimbabwe, Philippe Van Damme has responded to Presidential spokesman George Charamba’s attacks.

Charamba recently told the state run Herald newspaper that Zimbabwe is “watching” Brussels’ “mischief” meant to influence the outcome of 2018 elections adding the government was “aware” of the West’s “involvement in other areas including fomenting instability in the labour market.”

Responding to the attacks, Van Damme, said Brussels has no agenda to sponsor anarchy in Zimbabwe. He revealed that everything has been done in the open and nothing is hidden.

“We have been criticized and accused of having obscure hidden agendas, but what I can tell you is that we cannot be more transparent than what we did in this call for proposals,” said Ambassador Van Damme.

He continued saying, “This call for proposals was discussed with the government and it was published through the media which also includes one specific component of having an ear- marked funding for inviting CSOs, academia and think tanks to come together and organize their own capacity to monitor what we are also doing in Zimbabwe, in terms of development cooperation,” said Van Damme.

Van Damme added saying even the donors operating in Zimbabwe were subject to scrutiny from the civil society.

“So, it is not only that you hold your government accountable, but we are also inviting you to hold us accountable to what we are doing, and honestly speaking I do not see where we could be more transparent in our objectives and I do not understand where this misunderstanding comes from, and I was upset by how this call for proposals was interpreted,” said Ambassador Van Damme.