South African Church delegation back in Zimbabwe



By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 July 2005

Meanwhile Reuters news agency reports that another South African church team arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday to discuss aid for victims of the government's demolitions that have left hundreds of thousands homeless.

The visit comes a week after an earlier team from the South African Council of Churches condemned the crackdown by Robert Mugabe's government. That team met with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches to discuss the aid package that the churches, together with the South African government, are putting together. The South Africans also expressed concern because of the United Nations Development Programme's report that 5 million Zimbabweans will be at risk in terms of food security.

State media last week sought to discredit the first church group, led by South African Anglican Bishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, suggesting its visit was bankrolled by British intelligence as part of a smear campaign against Mugabe's government. But the reported comments by the Anglican archbishop Norbert Kunonga were not taken seriously by those who know his history in Zimbabwe. Reverend Kunonga defends the Mugabe regime's actions at every opportunity.

The South Africa Council of Churches said every church denomination that visited Zimbabwe paid their own way and had absolutely no connection to British intelligence.