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Victoria Falls Bureau

AS the country holds 133 Parliamentary and local council by-elections today, church leaders have implored Zimbabweans to heed President Mnangagwa’s call for peace and unity.

Throughout the campaign period leading to today’s National Assembly and local authority by-elections, the President has been at the forefront of urging all Zimbabweans to shun violence and elect peace, which is a panacea to development.

“As churches we are 100 percent behind the President’s call for peace, unity and tranquillity during elections and that our people should desist from violence. 

“The right person to make that call is the President himself,” said Reverend Andrew Wutaunashe, chairman of the Zimbabwe Indigenous Inter Denominational Council of Churches (ZIICC). 

“As churches, we are behind that stance and we plead with the nation to heed that call. We also urge those in opposition circles to stop acting with cynicism when such statements are being made by leadership because the lives of our people matter.”

ZIICC patron, Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi, said as church leaders they were excited to briefly meet President Mnangagwa who presided over the 3rd International Renewable Energy Conference and Expo in Victoria Falls yesterday while they held their church leadership workshop in a separate conference room at the same hotel. 

Bishop Reverend Nehemiah Mutendi

“We are excited to have you (President) here. The state has the duty to look after the welfare of its people and you have been preaching against violence,” he said.

“We as churches have the duty to look after the needs of the soul and we also call for peace during the polls.”

Despite his busy schedule, President Mnangagwa accepted to briefly engage with the religious workshop delegates who burst into song and ululation as he entered their venue.

He commended the indigenous church leaders for being patriotic and supporting the Government in tackling different societal ills and promoting development.

“The established churches are all recognised by our constitution but you are different from churches that get their instructions from elsewhere overseas,” said the President.

He said while the Government was making efforts to inculcate values of peace, love and unity, the churches were the most qualified to do that duty given their religious influence.

“We have the forthcoming election and me and my party are preaching peace, love and unity but does that go down to everybody,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We in Government would love to see all churches teaching all our people about the values of peace and unity, and that every household goes to church. You help us have a stable country that is united.”

When the whole country embraces value of peace and unity, it will be easy to foster development in the country as there will be no criminals to vandalise infrastructure and steal electricity cables, said the President.

He conducted a tour of the exhibition stands by the women from the churches, who exhibited the products they manufactured in their home districts.