The “us against them Syndrome” and the role of the Church in Zimbabwean politics.

By Rawlings Magede

There is no doubt that the new dispensation has failed to live up to people’s expectations. The golden opportunity gifted to President Mnangagwa after the military coup of 2017 to sanitize himself by embarking on a series of reforms, is now proving to be a nightmare for him as each day comes with its own fair share of embarrassment for the embattled regime. The economy that was inherited from Robert Mugabe is now worse off. From failure to stamp out graft and corruption to propping up monopolies over grain and fuel, signs of failure are now visible for all to see. The recent gaffe being a statement by Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting services Monica Mutsvangwa where she branded the letter written by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) misguided. One would have expected the Minister’s response to be sober but alas she went overdrive by carefully choosing uncouth and derogatory phrases such as evil minded, misguided and evil to describe the bishops. Very much unheard of for a government Minister responsible for the overall communication and public relations of the government to resort to the use of hate speech to respond to critics. This is not the first time though the church has come under attack by the government.

The church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church has always stood for justice and peace which form the hallmark of its doctrine. During the Gukurahundi era in Western Zimbabwe in the 80s, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) led by its former Director, Mike Auret (now late,MHSRP) ruffled Robert Mugabe’s feathers when it vehemently condemned the massacres. Under Auret’s leadership, the CCJP played a role to try and stop the slaughter of thousands of ZAPU members by Mugabe’s brigade of North Korean trained soldiers. Scores of people who had either been displaced or injured during Gukurahundi sought refuge at Catholic churches while some got assistance from the rural Catholic hospitals.Auret fearless character also saw him arranging for Archbishop Heinrich Karlen to meet Mugabe and told him in his face that his own soldiers are saying that they were sent by him to kill and alienate Ndebeles.This has been the attitude of the church since independence. When evil prevails, the church must always take a lead in speaking for the oppressed and voiceless.

Of ignorance and incompetence

The Ministry of Information either through its Permanent Secretary, Nick Mangwana or the Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa’s have more often than been exposed for their lack of tact and experience in handling government public relations and communications. The statement released as response to the Bishops is littered with hate speech from start to end. Added to this, it has tribal connotations as only one Bishop Robert Ndlovu is singled out of a list of seven Bishops and subjected to derogatory insults. Why him? Is it also by coincidence that the statement from the Ministry tries but fails to draw parallels between Bishop Ndlovu and a Rwandan priest, Archibishop Arthanase Seromba who led to the massacre of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide of 1994 by directing Hutu militias to churches were thousands of Tutsis were taking refuge? The statement by the Ministry of Information also comes barely a week after another statement dismissing claims that there was a crisis in the country. Again that said statement exposed the carelessness and lack of tact by the Ministry. Hate speech again featured prominently. Nothing substantial was raised except for the usual name calling that has become cold comfort for the Ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in all it failures has fared better that the Ministry of Information due to its careful choice of words and strategies. There is no doubt that the regime has failed to arrest run away prices and corruption but in my view I think the way the Ministry of information handles some government issues or gaffes exacerbates the situation.

The Catholic Bishops must be commended for making such an important call at a time when the space for civil liberties continue to be closed.Nomatter the consequences of taking such a stand, credit must be given to the Bishops. The country is at cross roads and the future that our war veterans fought for is on the verge of being destroyed. The approach by government not to take criticism lightly further exposes it as an administration that shuns reform and tolerance. President Mnangagwa must move from slogans to real action. What happened to his claim that he is a listening President? When will he listen? Does he listen? The statement to the Bishops exposes him as a leader bent on crushing and silencing anyone who dares to criticize him. In the final analysis, the Bishops have marked themselves out from the homogeneous crop of churches that over the years have turned a blind eye to the plight of citizens. The role of the church in Zimbabwe must even gain prominence even during such times. Truth to power is the new form of resistance.

Rawlings Magede is a Communication for Development expert with vast interests in human rights, peace building and sustainable development.Rawlings has been a blogger since 2009 and has written extensively on Zimbabwe’s constitution making process, politics,peace, devolution and media advocacy