Churches to launch “way forward” document
By Violet Gonda
26 October 2006

In a bid to find a solution to the crisis in the country, church leaders will launch a document entitled "The Zimbabwe We Want: Towards a National Vision" in Harare tomorrow. Senior clergymen representing the three main Christian groups in Zimbabwe: the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, presented the draft document to Mugabe at State House on Wednesday.

But analysts have described this development as a state sponsored initiative and part of Mugabe’s survival plan.

One critic asked; “Why do you want the devil blessing your church? It’s like Jesus going to the Devil asking him if he can preach the gospel.” While another said it’s a bit like Moses going to Pharaoh to seek permission to liberate the children of Israel.

Dr John Makumbe is one of those commentators who sharply criticised the initiative. He said; “Church leaders have been divided by Mugabe himself. He has divided them into two groups. Those who are pro the people and those who are not. The group which presented the documeent to Mugabe yesterday is really not for the people. It is doing something for itself and for Mugabe and ZANU PF.”

But it’s reported that the church officials said that all Zimbabweans — from Government, political parties, business, civil society, traditional leaders, workers and farmers — will give their responses to the draft at the launch on Friday. They said they came up with the draft document after consulting various stakeholders.

However Dr Makumbe, who is both a civic leader and member of the Christian Alliance of Zimbabwe, denied any knowledge of this. “We were not consulted and we are very much in the forefront of the fight for democracy in Zimbabwe. But you see these churchmen were consulting only those groups that they consider to be sympathetic to the Mugabe regime.”

He added; “The church people did not consult groups that would like to see regime change. In fact, in their statement (published in the Herald) they say they are not in support of regime change by illegal means. There is no group in Zimbabwe that has ever said there will be regime change by illegal means. But regime change has to come and they don’t want to see it.”

The Herald report said the document would be used to attract contributions from all Zimbabweans towards formulating a National Vision and said the churchmen “emphatically distanced themselves from Reverend Levee Kadenge’s Christian Alliance, describing it as a "fringe" organisation in the church.”

Makumbe responded by saying; “They are the fringe organisation in the church because they are not representing the wishes of the people. The wishes of the people are against the wishes of ZANU PF and the government. That’s why ZANU PF had to carry out Operation Murambatsvina.” the so-called clean up exercise that made at least 700 000 people homeless.

The outspoken critic believes the church leaders must have been towing the line of ZANU PF in order not to have been thrown out by Mugabe during the luncheon.

Asked if it’s possible to have a national vision with the current regime in power, Makumbe said; “No, you can only get a national nightmare! You cannot have a national vision which excludes the people. You cannot have a national vision which says you cannot have regime change. You cannot have a national vision which doesn’t say what pain the people are suffering now and how do you remove the pain, how do you get rid of it? So you can only have a national nightmare!”