AIC and ZHOCD agree on substantive issue of appeasing Zanu PF - church leaders same as politician, all hypocrites W Mukori.

Yes, on the issue of political dialogue between Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwe’s church leaders have been divided into two groups. What is important to note here is that the two groups differ on the trial matters but NOT on the substantive matters.

“In generally the first group falls under the internationally aligned Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) which has four main arms that is Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) and Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe (UDACIZA),” explained Terence Simbi in Bulawayo 24.

“The second grouping is the African indigenous Churches (AIC) composed of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), Vapositori sects, Family of God Church and others all with origins within the country and Africa hence the indigenous title.

“The ZHOCH came up with the sabbatical proposal to suspend democratic elections for 7 years to cool down political tensions in the country.

“This AIC had a different message stressing on the importance of adhering to the countries institutions thus for national dialogue to commence the leader of the main opposition has to first recognise the ruling of the constitutional court and the presidency of Emmerson Mnangagwa.”

Simbi’s analysis is correct but shallow and thus misses the real substantive issues here. Both groups are calling for Mnangagwa and Chamisa to hold the dialogue. Whilst the AIC are demanding that Chamisa endorse Mnangagwa as the dually elected president of Zimbabwe and thus endorse last year’s elections as having been free, fair and credible. 

ZHOCH group also calls for the same dialogue but are a bit more introspective and subtle in that they do not ask for Chamisa to endorse last year’s elections as having been free, fair and credible. 

What matters here is that by calling for the two gentlemen to meet and dialogue the two groups are per se endorsing the two as key players in defining the country’s way out of the mess. Whether Mnangagwa was legitimate or not at the start of the dialogue is a mute but irrelevant point. 

The substantive issue here is that Zimbabwe is in this existential economic and political mess because the country has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship for the last 39 years. The nation could not remove the regime from office between it rigged elections. 

Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are in power today because they rigged last year’s elections. Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by the same corrupt and vote rigging thugs. Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed. 

ZHOCH group’s position is not to endorse the Zanu PF regime as legitimate but to nonetheless let the party remain in power or be it in some power sharing arrangement with MDC. The new government will be dominated by Zanu PF given its 2/3 majority in parliament and senate, for example; it will still be a Zanu PF government is all but name. 

AIC group’s position is a lot more honest in that they acknowledge the end product of the dialogue will be a Zanu PF government and want that acknowledged from the word go. 

When Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe following the November 2017 military coup he promised his “new dispensation, Second Republic” would hold “free, fair and credible elections”. No doubt he was painfully aware of the blatant betrayal of the Mugabe era on this front and the tragic consequences. 

Mnangagwa did not keep his promise, he blatantly rigged last year’s elections. Zimbabwe is a pariah state, the Second Republic is no different from the First Republic! What a hypocrite!

Jesus Christ’s mission was to “tell the blind that they were blind no more and to set the downtrodden free!” Our church leaders should therefore be the champions of the downtrodden, those living in on US$40 per month or less, those dying dying of easily treatable diseases, etc. all because the nation is stuck for 39 years with a corrupt and tyrannical regime. It is shocking that after four decades of rigged elections the church leaders still continue cosy up with those rigging the elections at the expense of the downtrodden. What hypocrites.

If you look from Mnangagwa to Mutendi and back, Chiwenga to Wutaunashe and back or Mugabe to Father Fidelis Mukonori SJ and back; you will see no difference. They are all hypocrites. They are all a****holes!