Christian leaders in Zimbabwe have spoken out against long-reigning president Robert Mugabe.
Bishops were speaking as part of marking the United Nations (UN) Day Against Torture and expressed their shock that Zimbabwe had not ratified the Convention on torture and did it not recognise the day, even though it is a member of the UN.
According to The Zimbabwean they are pushing Mugabe to resign in the wake of fresh reports concerning claims of abduction, harassment and torture in the country by state security agents.
Zimbabwe Divine Destiny (ZDD) church leader, Bishop Ancelimo Magaya, spoke at a conference in the capital Harare.
He said: “If I was given five minutes or less to talk to President Mugabe, I would say, Your Excellency Sir, you have done very well in leading Zimbabwe into liberation and independence.”
He went on to say people wanted to be safe and be able to express themselves, free from state harassment, even if they differed in opinion.
Bishop Ancelimo Magaya said the church needed to stand up against the government.
He said the church has made a mistake thinking it has a duty only to preach on a Sunday and conduct services, but it needs to be a voice for the people.
The bishop told Zimbabweans churches are afraid to speak out but that the church needs to change and live up to its moral obligation.
Magaya said: “I don’t also want to rule out the fact that some of us within the church have received certain gifts, possibly from the government, possibly in the form of land and so on.
“And I have always said that a dog with bones in its mouth can never bark.”
President Mugabe was elected president in 1987 and has been in power ever since. … read more