Church group exposed for Unpredictability

Representatives of a local church organisation, Zimbabwe Indigenous Interdenominational Council of Churches (ZIICC) were on Tuesday left with an egg on their face after journalists exposed their inconsistency.

By Tongai Mwenje

The organisation, which claims to be apolitical and God fearing could not satisfactorily answer to questions raised during its press conference held in the capital.

ZIIC, which calls itself the good salt that provides a pleasant taste to any stew condemned the recent move by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) to call the government to order following rampant human rights abuses, corruption and extreme poverty.        

In a pastoral letter read out at Catholic churches recently, ZCBC said the country was suffering from “a multi-layered crisis”, including economic collapse, deepening poverty, corruption and human rights abuses.

“Fear runs down the spine of many of our people today. The crackdown on dissent is unprecedented,” the bishops said in the strongly-worded letter. Is this the Zimbabwe we want? To have a different opinion does not mean to be an enemy.”

The clerics’ gesture prompted a swift denial by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration which described the allegations as “evil” and baseless.

However, instead of providing a balanced statement as a church organisation to promote peace and unity, ZICC ran with a government tone castigating the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s gesture.

“ We (ZIIC) take strong exception to categorically disassociate ourselves form the cause by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference to march against the government and to reignite conflicts and wounds of the past to heal us from the from which God answered our prayers by bringing political leaders to the negotiating table where reconciliation was achieved. Please do not reverse the good work that God had done.”

“We are persuaded that the new dispensation, His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa has provided a sound starting point for all of us to inclusively rebuild our nation…, “ZIIC added.  

Asked why some churches even during Mugabe’s tenure continue to run with the same narrative that every leadership is from God, the organisation’s representatives said, “What happens is that when we say this leadership has been elected by God its because the ruling President was voted in by democratic elections , so we can’t say who was elected by the people is not God given.”

Apparently, the same organisation and its members and other church groups claimed Mugabe was a God chosen leader yet his controversial resignation never received any criticisms from those voices.

Mugabe was forced out of office following a military intervention.

On why ZIIC did not say a word after Mugabe was controversially removed from power, “As churches we did not have a hand in Mugabes removal , we just prayed that God grant wisdom the ruling person, thats the same thing which transpired during the elections when Mnangagwa was elected by the people, we should pray for him.”

They said they do not have a comment on the circumstances that led to the ouster of Mugabe whom they previously claimed was “God – given”.

“We do not have a comment.”

Local, regional, continental and International voices have condemned the government’s use of excessive force on its citizens.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa recently assigned two envoys to look into the current Zimbabwe’s volatile situation, however, in its press statement, ZIIC chose to take the government’s ‘there is no crisis in Zimbabwe’ stance.

“The Catholic Bishops’ letter lacked respect; it was an attack on the country’s leadership because it exaggerated the Zimbabwean situation. Romans 13: 2-5 compels everyone to submit to the ruling authorities but it seems the Bishops have forgotten this verse. We call our people to work together with the government with the agenda of taking the nation forward together…,” the organisation said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ascendancy to the top post in the land is still under scrutiny after the opposition MDC Alliance failed to accept the controversial 2018 presidential election results.  

Some voices have also criticized his route to represent his party, ZANU PF, in the 2018 election.