Maravi

Zim churches call for peace ahead of runoff

Zim churches call for peace ahead of runoff
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Monday May 26, 2008 [04:00]

THE Church in Zimbabwe has called for peace in the country ahead of the June 27 presidential election runoff. And the Church has condemned the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, saying that it was disturbed with the unfolding events in that country. In an interview on Sunday, chairman of the Christian Heads of Denominations in Zimbabwe, a composition of church leaders from the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Dr Goodwill Shana appealed for peace and stability in Zimbabwe.

“As a church we would like to see peace in the country and we are concerned… that’s why with what is coming (presidential runoff) we have to bring a positive resolution to what is happening,” he said.

Dr Shana said the three Church mother bodies were currently mobilising women countrywide.

“We are launching the women’s national prayer task force. We are mobilising a Christian community of women because they are multiple victims of any national turmoil or instability. When a nation is in turmoil the most vulnerable people are women and children,” Dr Shana said. “That’s why we have to mobilise our women across the political divide because a mother is a mother whether she is ZANU-PF or MDC especially in times when there is violence and instability.”
There has been widespread political violence in the countryside with both rival parties accusing each other of perpetrating the heinous acts of violence against their supporters.

Several civil society groups in Zimbabwe and Amnesty International have accused ruling ZANU-PF supporters of violent acts since the March 29 harmonised elections, where MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai emerged victorious ahead of the veteran leader.

But on Friday, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka told the state media that police in the eastern border town of Mutare arrested 12 opposition MDC activists on public violence charges.
He said the 12 activists where arrested after police received a tip-off from members of the public.
Mandipaka said the police were informed that the perpetrators were using marked and unmarked vehicles to terrorise people in the communities.

“They would go and perpetrate the acts of violence and retreat to their hidden bases, which we are still to establish,” he said.
The police swung into action barely a week after President Mugabe accused the opposition MDC of launching an evil crusade of dividing the nation on political lines through heinous acts of political violence.
And Dr Shana condemned the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, stating that the Church was disturbed with the unfolding events in that country.

“We are very concerned and disturbed with what’s happening there. But we are encouraged with the across the board condemnation by the country, from the government, civil society and the Church,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government announced on Friday that it would help to repatriate its citizens that were victims of xenophobic attacks that had rocked South Africa.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement indicating that the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria and the consulate in Johannesburg would also assist with returning the bodies of those killed in the attacks.

Labels: EFZ, ZCC

posted by MrK @ 3:40 AM