http://www.un.org/
5 May
2010 - Some 5 million children in Zimbabwe will receive urgently
needed
protection from a growing spread of measles thanks to $5.6 million
from the
United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
Despite an initial
vaccination of more than 148,000 children in 23 districts
since the
beginning of the outbreak in September, the disease has been on
the rise
with more than 6,200 cumulative cases, including 384 deaths,
reported in 57
of the 62 districts across the impoverished southern African
country.
"The CERF contribution will allow for urgent programmes to
immunize children
against this deadly disease," UN Emergency Relief
Coordinator John Holmes
said today. "Halting the spread of measles now
should avert a number of
preventable deaths."
In conjunction with
Zimbabwe's Health and Child Welfare Ministry, the UN
Children's Fund
(UNICEF) and UN World Health Organization (WHO) plan to
immunize 95 per cent
of children between the ages of six months and 14 years
during a 10-day
campaign. The two UN agencies will provide further technical
assistance in
planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring the
measles outbreak
response.
Some $3.5 million in CERF funding will allow UNICEF to provide
logistical
support to the nationwide campaign, including ensuring that all
measles
vaccines, and the equipment to keep them cold, are delivered quickly
to all
62 districts. CERF funds will also help UNICEF to produce and
distribute
educational materials ahead of the campaign, to inform the
population.
WHO will use $2.1 million to support critical micro-planning
activities and
refresher training of some 14,000 people including health
workers needed to
carry out a campaign of this scale.
In March the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
reported that aid
agencies in Zimbabwe were appealing to donors to support a
$378 million
appeal launched in December to support humanitarian and early
recovery
efforts in a country has been plagued by widespread humanitarian
suffering
in recent years, driven in part by long-running political strife.
At the
time the appeal was launched, some 6 million people lacked access to
safe
water and sanitation due to the erosion of basic services, while
livelihoods
were threatened by the prolonged economic downturn.
CERF was established
in 2006 to make funding for humanitarian emergencies
faster and more
equitable. Since then, more than 115 Member States and
several private
sector donors have contributed $1.9 billion to the Fund,
which is managed by
OCHA. Humanitarian agencies in Zimbabwe have received
$57.3 million since
2006.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Caroline Mvundura Thursday 06 May
2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe's largest platinum producer Zimplats
Holdings has said
commencement of a US$445 million project to ramp up
production to nearly 300
000 ounces annually was dependent on finalisation
of "compliance issues"
regarding the country's controversial black economic
empowerment laws.
Zimplats, majority owned by South Africa's Impala
Platinum - the world's
second largest platinum producer - said it had won
board approval for its
Ngezi phase II expansion project that will see
platinum output rising to 270
000 ounces from 180 000 ounces per
annum.
The project will among other things include development of an
underground
mine, construction of a 35 000 megalitre dam, 1 125 employee
houses and
creation of 1 000 new jobs in a country battling to emerge from a
10-year
recession that saw unemployment skyrocketing to about 90 percent
according
to some estimates.
But Zimplats said in a quarterly
statement released earlier this week that:
"Project commencement is
dependant on finalisation of compliance issues
regarding the Indigenisation
and Economic Empowerment Act and the
accompanying regulations that were
recently gazetted."
Zimplats said it was awaiting response from the
government on its proposals
on how it plans to sell stake to local blacks in
line with the empowerment
law.
However Indigenisation Minister
Saviour Kasukuwere, who has given
foreign-controlled companies a May 15
deadline to submit plans of how they
intend to sell 51 percent stake to
indigenous Zimbabweans, last month
publicly criticised Zimplats' empowerment
plan which he described as
inadequate.
The Harare coalition
government has said it is reviewing the empowerment
laws.
But
analysts have warned that any plan to force foreign-controlled
businesses to
sell shares to locals - especially in the absence of a scheme
to assist
impoverished indigenous Zimbabweans to buy stake from foreigners -
will only
help scare away potential foreign investors whose money the
country badly
needs to rebuild its shattered economy.
Zimplats, which last September
completed the first phase of its expansion
programme at a cost of US$350
million, said commencement of the second phase
also depended on the firm and
the government reaching a "mutually acceptable
arrangement" regarding US$34
million that it is owed by the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe and a review of
taxes.
Meanwhile Zimplats said operating profit rose 14 percent to $57
million in
the March quarter compared with the December quarter.
The
company said metal prices continued an upward trend in the quarter in
line
with the global economic recovery and also increased investor interest
in
platinum group metals.
Revenue for the first quarter was nine percent
higher than the previous
quarter, reflecting the higher sales volumes and
improved metal prices.
Operating costs increased by four percent in line
with the higher sales
volume, the company said. - ZimOnline.
http://news.radiovop.com
05/05/2010
21:13:00
Harare, May 06, 2010 - Zimbabwe's Education and Health
Ministers said the
two sectors were still in a shocking condition due to
lack of political will
among the warring political parties in the
country.
During a presentation on the social services sector;
infrastructure
resuscitation and rehabilitation of education and health
services in the
first year of the inclusive government, Education minister
David Coltart and
his Health and Child Welfare counterpart Henry Madzorera
said although donor
response had been very positive, lack of political will
among the government
parties was thwarting progress.
Coltart said
Zimbabwe's education system was still in a "free fall", and
most schools in
the country were still in a "profoundly shocking" state
despite various
interventions since the formation of an inclusive government
in
2009.
This had been worsened by the government's failure to develop a new
curriculum, forcing schools to rely on one developed over two decades ago,
which was out of sync with the demands of modern education. In addition most
schools did not have the textbooks to complement the curriculum.
"The
situation at schools is profoundly shocking, but we are working with
our
partners and local communities to rehabilitate schools," said Coltart.
"There has not been comprehensive curriculum review for over two decades.
Our hope is that by 2011 we would have come up with concrete areas for
curriculum reform. We are currently working with experts in curriculum
reform to identify areas that can be improved. Our idea is to make the
curriculum more vocational. Most children come out of school with academic
but useless qualifications."
"The fact of the matter is that the
education sector has been grossly
neglected by successive governments, and
we are now reaping the effects of
that," added Coltart.
In health,
Madzorera said the situation had been worsened by erratic
disbursements from
treasury, which were much lower than internationally
recommended
standards.
"Donors are also not willing to put money into the ministry
directly. The
health system is still grossly under funded with about $12 per
capita
instead of the recommended $34 per capita," said
Madzorera.
Former government minister Fay Chung said the government
should develop ways
of productively using such natural resources as minerals
to fund health and
education.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Patricia Mpofu Thursday 06 May
2010
HARARE - Five prospective mass media houses have submitted
applications to
operate new newspapers in Zimbabwe, among them NewsDay owned
by media mogul
Trevor Ncube, Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) officials said
on Wednesday.
ZMC chairman Godfrey Majonga said the commission, which
called for
applications on Tuesday has been overwhelmed by enquiries from
prospective
mass media providers and journalists seeking application and
registration
forms.
"Its been a hectic two days. The response has
just been overwhelming,"
Majonga said, adding; "People are coming to renew
their licences,
accreditation, while some are coming to find out the
requirements before
applying. One new media house has so far completed its
forms and submitted
them."
Majonga declined to disclose the media
house that had submitted its
application but ZMC officials privy to the
process, speaking on condition
that their names were not published, said the
NewsDay and four others had
submitted their applications.
Owners
of the Daily News, a popular independent daily newspaper which was
closed in
2003 by the now defunct Tafataona Mahoso-led Media Information
Commission
(MIC) using the draconian Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy
Act (AIPPA) were also in town yesterday, according to the officials,
finalising their application.
The Daily News was Zimbabwe's
biggest circulating daily newspaper when it
was shut down by the government
in 2003 for allegedly violating AIPPA. Three
other newspapers were also
banned during the period and scores of
journalists charged as the Harare
authorities cracked down on independent
newspapers that the government
accused of backing the then opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
party.
The ZMC, a constitutional body created last February as one of the
key
reforms to open up the country's political space after President Robert
Mugabe and long time rival but now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed a
unity government last year following a dispute over general elections in
March 2008, replaced the state-appointed MIC that used the government's
tough media laws to police the newspaper industry.
Under AIPPA,
newspapers could not publish unless they had a licence from the
MIC, with
papers that breached the rule forced to close while their
equipment was
seized by the police. Newspaper company executives could also
be jailed for
publishing without permission from the commission.
The ZMC, which on
Tuesday distributed guidelines of establishing a newspaper
or magazine to
prospective media houses, has slashed application and
registration fees,
resulting in the flood of prospective applications.
According to a
gazette published last Friday local journalists will pay a
total of US$30 to
work in the country while local journalists working for
foreign media will
be required to pay a total of US$120 down from the US$3
000 that the MIC
used to charge.
Local media houses will pay an application fee of
US$500, registration fee
of US$1 500 and a renewal fee of US$1 000.
Application and registration for
news agencies will be US$1 300 per year and
the renewal of registration will
be US$500.
Foreign media
organisations or news agencies who are willing to set office
in the country
are expected to pay US$2 500 down from about US$30 000 per
year while those
from the Southern African Development Community will pay
US$1
250.
The deadline for all applications and registrations is June 4 and
late
applications will attract a penalty of US$1 daily.
Mugabe
and Tsvangirai formed a unity government last year following a
dispute over
general elections in March 2008 and have promised a raft of
reforms,
including freeing up the media by allowing more players.
Western donors,
whose aid is essential to Zimbabwe's economic recovery from
a decade-long
downturn, have demanded broad political reforms before funding
the unity
government, which says it needs at least $10 billion for
reconstruction.
The southern African state has been urged to scarp
legislation that bars
foreign journalists from working long-term in the
country. - ZimOnline
http://www.thedailynewszw.com/?p=29257
May 5, 2010
By Owen
Chikari
MASVINGO - Violent clashes involving supporters of the mainstream
MDC and
Zanu-PF erupted in parts of Masvingo this week as
politically-motivated
violence resurfaced, hampering efforts by the fragile
inclusive government
to bring unity among the citizens.
Police in
Masvingo on Wednesday said they had this week arrested 10 people
in
connection with politically-motivated violence in Bikita and Mwenezi
districts after supporters of the two parties clashed over crimes committed
during the run-up to the March 2008 elections.
MDC supporters clashed
with Zanu-PF members at Zimbudzi Village in Bikita.
According to sources,
known Zanu-PF supporters who terrorised people in the
district during the
run up to the elections had moved around the village
boasting that they
committed politically-motivated crimes during that period
and were never
arrested.
It is alleged that a family that supports the mainstream MDC,
which lost
five herd of cattle during the run-up to the 2008 polls, was
angered by the
Zanu-PF supporters' actions.
Tempers flared as the
group of Zanu-PF supporters allegedly moved around the
village several times
singing songs and chanting slogans boasting they were
above the law since
they could commit crimes and go scot-free.
In an act of revenge, the MDC
supporters then allegedly ganged up resulting
in violent clashes.
"We
have arrested five people after they were involved in fighting over a
herd
of cattle that was slaughtered way back in 2008," said police spokesman
Inspector Tinaye Matake.
"Our investigations have revealed that a
family which lost cattle during the
run-up to the 2008 elections mobilised
people and clashed with a group of
Zanu-PF supporters accusing them of have
stolen their cattle.
"We are warning people against taking the law into
their own hands because
they risk being arrested."
In Mwenezi police
also arrested five people, including a 15-year-old boy who
allegedly
murdered a Zanu -PF supporter after accusing him of killing his
father
during the run-up to the elections.
A group of MDC-T supporters clashed
with a group of Zanu-PF members at
Zimbudzi Village after the boy allegedly
fatally stabbed Robert Machacha, an
aide to Zanu-PF politburo member
Kudakwashe Bhasikiti.
The boy accused Machacha of having killed his
father in the pre-election
period. In retribution for Machacha's alleged
murder, Zanu PF supporters
teamed up and heavily assaulted suspected MDC
supporters in the area.
Despite the setting up of a government arm
responsible for national healing,
some Zimbabweans continue to clash over
political allegiances. The clashes
have been partly blamed on the failure by
the state to prosecute
perpetrators of crimes.
Critics have say the
policy of national healing will never succeed unless
all people who
committed politically motivated crimes are brought to book.
The MDC
claims that over 500 of its supporters were killed during the run-up
to the
2008 elections, although human rights organisations put the figure at
about
300. To date, most of the suspected murderers are still freely roaming
the
streets.
Meanwhile, Zimrights, a human rights watchdog, says there are
gross human
rights abuses in the country despite the formation of the
inclusive
government in February last year.
"There is still no rule
of law in the country because people are committing
crimes without being
arrested," said Mabel Sikhosana, a Zimrights official
"All people are
equal and should get equal protection from the state, but
this is not
happening. In some cases we are shocked that victims are
arrested at the
expense of the perpetrators of crime."
"There are gross human rights
abuses in the country despite the formation of
the inclusive government."
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/AZHU-856RBC
Source: The Zimbabwean
Date:
05 May 2010
MASVINGO - Three girls emerge from the bushes near
Neshuro service centre in
Masvingo and wave desperately for a lift on the
highway that links Zimbabwe
with neighbouring South Africa.
A car
pulls off the road a few metres away. Without hesitation, the girls
jump on
board a car that gets back on the road with a slight screech and
proceeds in
the direction of the border.
As Zimbabwe's southern regions begin to feel
the pinch of a drought that
rendered the bulk of the staple maize crop a
write-off, many youths,
including school dropouts, are trekking to South
Africa in search for jobs
to feed their families back at home. Among the
worst affected is the Mwenezi
district.
According to the United
Nations, 1.6 million people are in need of emergency
food relief in
Zimbabwe. "Food aid partners led by WFP have been feeding
about 1.6 million
people during the period January to March 2010," Elizabeth
Lwanga, the
United Nations Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Zimbabwe, said. "The
WFP-led
Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) will scale down in April, which is
the
harvesting month when most households start consuming own production.
However, the programmes can be extended based on need and this will be
ascertained through the assessments." New figures are being worked on to see
how many will need food assistance this year. The Federation of Red Cross
Societies has indicated that up to four million people, or a third of
Zimbabwe's population, will need food handouts this year.
In March,
donors suspended food supplies in much of Masvingo province and
most parts
of the country prompting desperate villagers to trek to South
Africa in
search for jobs, mainly on the farms. Explaining the food aid
suspension,
Lwanga said: "Food aid partners usually suspend the Vulnerable
Group Feeding
(VGF) Programme in April because of the harvest, which enables
households to
feed on own production. "The expectation this year is that
there may be
pockets of communities which will be affected by crop failure
and hence may
need food assistance beyond the peak hunger season which runs
from January
to March. However, food aid partners are confident that they
have enough
stocks and resources to address these needs. "Food aid partners
are
currently monitoring the situation following the protracted dry spell
that
affected crops in part of the country to establish if there will be
need to
extend their programmes." Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who
chairs the
government humanitarian committee, has gone around the country to
assess the
food security situation and to reassure people that they will not
starve.
But the reassurances mean little for those who are not
eligible for free
food, such as the youths who are expected to work and earn
their own food.
In a country where unemployment is estimated to be above 90
per cent, jobs
are scarce. Some of the youths claim that food aid lists are
manipulated by
politicians soliciting for support and the able-bodied are
often told to
find ways to fend for themselves. For many, the only
alternative is to skip
the border and search for jobs in neighbouring
countries. The trek has left
many villages without an entire generation of
the young people who should
till the land when the region gets good rains.
While some of those on the
food lists will be fed, for the rest, the
nightmare of finding food is
ever-present.
According to the Famine
Early Warning System (Fewsnet), Zimbabwe has a
shortfall of 800,000 tonnes
of the staple maize this year. The usually
well-stocked produce market in
Masvingo was virtually empty of maize on a
recent visit.
The few
shops that had maize meal in stock were cashing in on the shortages
and had
doubled prices since December. The state grain company, GMB, had
long run
out of supplies.
Masvingo Central MP Tongai Matutu said the city was
swamped by people from
neighbouring rural areas who came looking for food,
as they had harvested
nothing because of the drought.
Matutu also
warned that the GMB had not undergone what he termed
"institutional reform",
meaning that, even if the food came, it was likely
to be distributed along
partisan lines, benefiting supporters of President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF)
party at the expense of the rest. Evidence of this
was seen by The
Zimbabwean. A senior Zanu (PF) official had several rooms
full of maize seed
from the GMB, while many people in the villages had
nothing. The seed was
being offered for sale, although the government
expected it to be given
free.
http://www.thedailynewszw.com/?p=29249
May 5, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE – Police in Harare were on Wednesday left with egg
on their faces
after detaining Paul Madzore, an MP for the mainstream MDC,
accusing him of
absconding from court three years ago when he was in their
custody at the
time he was supposed to attend the hearing.
Madzore
was detained for more than two hours at Harare Central Police
Station on
allegations that he failed to attend court over allegations he
assaulted two
police officers in May 2007.
Police said Madzore, the MP for Glen View
South, absconded from court on May
27, 2007 after he had allegedly committed
the offence.
However, the police were embarrassed upon revelations that
they were at the
material time, in fact, holding Madzore at Harare Remand
Prison on separate
allegations of bombing police stations.
To their
further humiliation, it was made known to the police that the
assault
charges had, in fact, been dismissed.
Madzore told The Daily News he was
forced to clear his name once again
Wednesday.
“We had to go to the
Harare Magistrates’ Court’s administration to verify
that the case had, in
fact, been thrown out as I was in prison as from the
28 April 2007 to June
2007,” Madzore said Wednesday.
Three years ago, Madzore was arrested at
his home together with his wife,
child and several MDC activists, on
allegations of petrol bombing several
police stations in Harare and of
possessing firearms.
His wife and child were later released from Harare
Central Police Station.
Madzore was reportedly tortured while in police
custody and subsequently
moved to a private hospital, where he was put on a
life support system.
The police, however, reportedly moved him forcibly
back to his remand prison
cell in Harare and denied him access to medical
treatment. As a result,
Madzore collapsed twice in his prison
cell.
On April 13, 2007, High Court judge Tedius Karwi refused Madzore’s
application for bail, reportedly on the orders of the Minister for Home
Affairs, who issued a certificate of denial on security
grounds.
Madzore and others were accused of training as petrol bombers.
They were
later released.
At the time of the arrests, the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) based in
Switzerland said it was deeply
concerned at the allegations of torture of
Madzore while in police custody
and the denial of the medical treatment he
required.
The IPU also
expressed deep concern that the Judge in the case had refused
bail at the
behest of the Home Affairs Minister.
Popularly known as “The Singing MP”,
musician Madzore is one of Zimbabwe’s
youngest legislators. The charismatic
MP has stolen the hearts of thousands
of Zimbabweans with his
music.
However, his music has also led him into trouble. Madzore was once
imprisoned for six months when his music was deemed to be an attack on the
person of President Robert Mugabe.
http://www1.voanews.com
CZI
Chief Executive Officer Kumbirai Katsande acknowledged that there is
tension
in the workplace around the issue of wages and salaries, but said
Zimbabwean
businesses face many challenges including erratic electric power
supplies
Patience Rusere | Washington 05 May 2010
The head
of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries said Wednesday that
while the
economy has mended since the unity government was formed in 2009,
neither
companies nor government can afford to increase pay.
CZI Chief Executive
Officer Kumbirai Katsande acknowledged that there is
tension in the
workplace around the issue of wages and salaries, but said
Zimbabwean
businesses face many challenges including erratic electric power
supplies
which are hurting production, revenues and profitability.
Civil servants
are demanding a base wage of US$600 while the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade
Unions has given employers until July of this year to pay
salaries no lower
than the poverty line of US$500.
The ZCTU has also called for a consumer
price freeze if wages are to remain
on hold.
Katsande told VOA Studio
7 reporter Patience Rusere that workers must accept
that the economy is not
stable enough to meet their demands considering the
dismal condition of the
economy just over one year ago.
http://www1.voanews.com
Paul Themba Nyathi, a former fighter with the Zimbabwe People's
Revolutionary Army, said the fact that the government invited the North
Koreans suggests some politicians are not committed to healing and
reconciliation
Gibbs Dube | Washington 05 May 2010
A
former Zimbabwean freedom fighter said Wednesday that civic organizations
should press the Harare government to shelve a proposal to invite North
Korea's soccer team to train in Zimbabwe during the 2010 World Cup
period.
Paul Themba Nyathi, a former fighter with the Zimbabwe People's
Revolutionary Army or ZIPRA, the armed wing of the late Vice President
Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union, said the fact that the
government's World Cup committee invited the North Koreans suggests some
politicians are not committed to healing and reconciliation. He said the
presence of the North Korean team would revive hurtful memories of 1980s
suffering in the so-called Gukurahundi conflict in Matabeleland pitting
rival liberation parties, in which many civilians died.
Nyathi, a
member of the national executive committee of the Movement for
Democratic
Change formation led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara,
told VOA
Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube that civic groups should organize to
reverse
the invitation extended to the North Korean team. "I expect all
people to
pull together to ensure that the North Koreans will be barred from
training
in Zimbabwe," Nyathi declared.
Zimbabwe's unity government Cabinet is
expected to discuss the North Korean
visit next Tuesday after failing to
meet this week because President Robert
Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara
were in Tanzania attending
the World Economic Forum and an African
liberation event.
By Sanderson N
Makombe
Is Christianity the most practised religion in Zimbabwe? If so,
does that
make Zimbabwe a Christian nation? Should Zimbabwe be declared a
Christian
nation in the new constitution or should any other religion be
adopted as a
state religion?
The impetus to contribute on this topic
came when i was going through the
Kariba draft constitution. So far it is
the only constitutional document
that has a clause asserting a religious
belief. Both the NCA and the
Chidyausiku draft constitutions have no clauses
linking the state to a
particular religion directly or indirectly. The
preamble to the Kariba draft
opens by stating ‘We acknowledge the supremacy
of the Lord’. Inevitably such
a constitutional provision is bound to raise
controversy and is subject to
different legal and theological
interpretations and implications. In this
discussion the word Lord is
applied as referring to the Christian God.
The current Zimbabwean
constitution does not proclaim ‘the supremacy of the
lord’ anywhere; neither
does it attempt to link a particular religion to the
state of Zimbabwe.
Reference to God is found only in the Oath of loyalty
with the words ‘So
help me God’. The oath is taken by senior public
officials when taking
office and is only an oath of allegiance. It is not
compulsory to pronounce
‘So help me God’ as it is only taken in affirmation.
However aspects of the
Christian religion are evident in the sphere of
Zimbabwean public life. In
our courts of law before giving evidence
witnesses are required to swear by
the Bible the truthness of their account.
Prominent Christian festivals,
Easter and Christmas, are public holidays in
Zimbabwe, even though the
holidays are better known for social pleasure than
the celebration of a
religious event .In most schools Bible Knowledge has
been a common subject
nationwide but its importance has been greatly
reduced, with some schools
actually scrapping it. On most funeral occasions
church leaders preside over
the burial of the deceased, just as most do on
weddings and marriages
.Archbishop Chakaipa presided over President Mugabe’s
first inaugural as
Prime Minister in 1980 as well as over his wedding to
Grace Marufu in
1997.However the absence of official prayers and other
religious procedures
and leadership at any official government function or
meetings points to the
fact that religion is not integral to the function of
the
establishment.
Historical facts point to the fact that before the arrival of
the
colonialists, present day Zimbabwe practised some form of traditional
worshipping, with emphasis on spirit mediums. Christianity was brought about
by early missionaries. There is not much written about the role played by
main wing Christian establishments during Zimbabwe’s struggle for
indepedence.In contrast, reference is made of the role of spirit mediums,
notably Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi, and roles played by traditional
chiefs like Chief Rekai Tangwena.This does not mean though that religious
leaders did not offer any form of support leading to the birth of
Zimbabwe.Abel Muzorewa,Rev Ndabaningi Sithole were appointed to lead the
struggle when nationalist leaders were incarcarated.Mugabe himself benefited
through the works of Fathers Dieter Scholz,Emmanuel Ribero and Sister Mary
Acquina who were sympathetic to the nationalist causes. They would
eventually also help him to hide and later cross into
Mozambique.
Answering the first question in my introduction, it could be
very true that
Christianity is the dominant religion in Zimbabwe. That fact
however does
not in itself qualify Zimbabwe as a Christian nation. Neither
does the
inclusion of the proclamation of the supremacy of the Lord in the
Kariba
draft. To have a nation founded in a particular religion means that
particular religion is the primary and probably the sole basis upon which a
national government exists and is structured. It also recognises that there
is a higher law than man made law and that law is God’s law, or Biblical
Law, which is recognised as supreme in that republic. Christianity becomes
the life and soul of the nation, its practise and its existence. To be a
Christian is not just by declaration, it is also by deeds. 2 Chronicles 7;14
says ‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray
and seek my face and turn way from their wicked ways, I will forgive their
sin and heal their land’. There is a reward promised by God for a nation
that identifies itself with him. Psalm 33; 12 states ‘Blessed is a nation
whose God is the Lord’. It is evidently clear that it is not the
constitutional provision that makes a nation Christian, neither the
empirical numbers of a practising Christianity.
A nation where a majority
statistically are Christians and are in power
seeking to emblemish Christian
beliefs with government policy can aptly be
described as a Christian
democracy. However this description does not
describe its form of
government. Alternative to Christian democracy could be
establishment of a
theocracy, that is, a nation headed by GOD. It is
evidenced that a theocracy
is more likely to be autocratic than democratic.
Probably the nearest of the
existence of such a form cite ancient Israel as
the epitome of a theocracy.
There is biblical evidence that Israel as a
nation was created by God and he
excised civil rule over it through his
anointed prophets Exodus 24.8. God
had a contract with Israel and Psalm 105
vs. 8-10 states ‘he remembers his
covenant forever.......the covenant God
made with Abraham and his oath to
Isaac and confirmed to Jacob for a
statute, to Israel as an everlasting
covenant.’ Luke 1; vs. 31-33 makes it
clear that only Jesus has the present
right to rule as king of Israel as its
national civil head concluding ‘he
will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be
no end’.
There were times that the people of Israel actually rebelled against
God’s
rule over them and God was well aware of that. In Samuel 8; 7 it is
written
‘and the Lord said to Samuel ‘heed the voices of the people in all
they say
to you: for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me,
that I
should not reign over them’. In a theocracy like ancient Israel the
nation
had a legally prescribed religious faith and its civil law prescribed
what
people must believe about God.In a theocracy, civil punishments are
meted
out for religious offences, and the national welfare is founded on the
maintenance and preservation, or avoidance of a particular faith. Civil
privileges are accorded to those who profess the specific religion. No
wonder in Zambia just after its proclamation a minister banned non
Christians from appearing on national television.
The covenant that
Israel has by God is not evident in any other society
today and no nation
can claim that God rules over its national affairs as
its personal civil
head of state like in ancient Israel before the monarch.
The nearest we have
currently to a theocracy is the Islamic State of Iran.
Iran might seem a
secular democracy but is not. Power does not reside in the
elected officials
of the government. The Guardian Council appointed by the
Ayatollahs are the
supreme leaders. The Council can overturn any law it
deems contrary to
Islamic laws and tradition. The president is not the most
powerful person in
Iran; it is the Grand Ayatollah, who remains in charge of
the military and
the works of the Council. The legal structure actually
requires leadership
of the government to be muslim.Al Quran and associated
Muslim traditions
play the role of constitution for the state-the final
authority on what is
permitted or forbidden. Thus religion is at the
cornerstone of the
establishments’ life and soul. Civil liberties like
sexual preferences,
freedom of speech, expression, media, are all
interpreted in strict
adherence to Islamic law and that law is supreme.
In June 2007 Barack Obama
said of the USA ‘Whatever we once were, we’re no
longer a Christian nation.
At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a
Muslim nation, and a
Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of
non believers’. Suffice
to say, the USA constitution is secular. There is no
mention of God or
Christianity. Even the Presidential oath does not contain
the phrase So Help
Me God. However facets of the Christian faith are very
evident in the
founding of the USA.Sunday is still observed as a Christian
Sabbath, the Ten
Commandments are still on the wall behind the Supreme Court
Justices when
they take the bench and the USA coins still proclaim the motto
In God We
Trust. Of greater significance is the declaration by President
Eisenhower
that ‘Without God there could be no American form of government,
nor an
American way of life. Recognition of the supreme being is the first,
the
most basic expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of
America
saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be’.
Independent of an
express declaration, does that make the USA a Christian
nation? Probably
not.
In Zambia on 29 December 1991 Frederick Chiluba officially declared the
country a Christian nation at State House. The constitution was duly amended
in May 1996 declaring the republic a Christian nation, at the same time
upholding the right of every citizen to enjoy freedom of conscience or
religion. The same president was later arraigned before the courts for
embezzlement of government coffers. The extend of his lavishness was aptly
evidenced by his contract with a supplier to furnish him with personalised
footware.Nothing he ever did exemplified Christian beliefs of self
sacrifice, honesty, truthfulness and integrity.
The legal significance of
declaring a nation a Christian nation are vast.
One of the dilemna faced is
what happens when a non Christian is elected as
president? Or does that
imply practising Christianity is a requisite for
running for office? A
president is elected to uphold the constitution, that
very constitution
which could potentially be discriminatory against his
faith or lack of. The
interplay of religious teachings and criminal law can
be very controversial
in an established theocracy. Not every sin is a crime
in the ordinary sense.
Man made law generally prescribe what is a criminal
conduct whereas the
bible would prescribe what is a sin .Thus consensual sex
by adults outside
marriage is not a criminal offence but the same act is a
sin according to
the bible [fornication].In a society based on theocracy the
act will be both
a sin and a crime. At the same time homosexuality is a sin
according to the
bible and would therefore be outlawed in a theocracy. At
present
homosexuality is not a crime in Zimbabwe though the practise of
sodomy is.
In a Christian theocracy that act will be outlawed. Blasphemy or
any insult
towards the state religion will in most cases be a crime, so are
a host of
other forbidden acts in the holy book. There will be a close
relation
between morality issues as prescribed by the religion and enforced
by law as
can be seen in the development of English common law, an aspect
likely to
cause discomfort in a democracy.
Another problem is how to accommodate a
state religion with anti
discrimination provisions in the Bill of Rights.
Most human rights
instruments contain the requirement that no one should be
discriminated on
the grounds of sex, race, tribe, colour and religion. The
current Zimbabwean
constitution has this on Section 23.No doubt then that an
express provision
for a particular faith could be interpreted as
discriminatory.
What is the essence of proclaiming God’s supremacy without
actually
intending to establish a state religion? Sceptics will also point
out that
the parties to the Kariba draft are not founded on Christian
principles
which makes the inclusion of the clause astonishing. If ‘Lord’ in
that sense
mean the Christian God, is that proclamation not discriminatory
to other
faiths? It is a fact that Zimbabwe is a multi faith society and
there is a
large populace of those who do not practise any religion at all.
Cynics will
always argue that there is nothing more fatal in the world than
religion and
politics mixed together. Therefore to accommodate both in a
constitutional
clause is actually prescribing chaos and can actually breed
fundamentalism.
There are those who hold the opinion that state and religion
should always
be separated. They argue religious leaders should remain
impartial and
apolitical for them to retain the respect of the nation. A pro
active faith
can be an effective voice of the oppressed and provide checks
and balances
on executive excesses. The danger lies when religious leaders
of a
particular state religion fail to stand on high moral ground because of
the
fear of upsetting their political friends, thereby diminishing their
role
play.
Ethiopia seems to have realised this fact despite its rich
historical
connections to both Muslim and Christian faith. Its constitution
provides
for the separation of religion and politics by article 11 which
provides:
1. State and religion are separate.
2. There shall be no state
religion.
3. The State shall not interfere in religious affairs and religion
shall not
interfere in state affairs.
Australia’s federal constitution on
Section 116 provides ‘ The commonwealth
shall not make any laws for
establishing any religion, or for imposing any
religious observance, or for
prohibiting the free exercise of any religion,
and no religious test shall
be required as a qualification for any office or
public trust under
commonwealth. This provision heavily borrows from the USA
constitution 1st
amendment Sec 116 which states ‘Congress shall make no law
respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise off’.
This provision
has been interpreted by the US Supreme Court to require
separation of church
from state.
It is proposed here that similar provisions be adopted to clearly
separate
the state from the church expressly in the constitution and remain
secular
as it is now.
The writer can be contacted at smakombe@btinternet.com
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by The Zimbabwean
Wednesday, 05 May
2010 07:09
'What a wretched state of affairs when one becomes suspicious
of everyone
and everything connected with Zimbabwe.' I have just received
this lament
from a friend in the UK who is trying his utmost to help a small
group of
people in Harare to market their produce. He finds himself all the
time
pushing on closed doors.
It is not just the communications; it is
the regulations and the fact that
at every stage of the way people seem to
be intent on finding some reason
for blocking progress rather than
facilitating it. They spend time poring
over documents to see if they can
find something, anything, which would
allow them to say 'no'; something that
would be an expression of their
power. Where did all this come from? How did
this futility arise?
It is true, when you go to other countries you find
people willing to help,
looking for ways to solve problems, opening the
channels. That is the way to
make things move and in the process create
wealth for the individual and for
the country. But here we are with a
collapsed economy - blocking anyone who
tries to show initiative. There is a
malaise, a paralysis, where people seem
to positively choose to prevent
progress.
So where does it come from? Is it jealousy? You look as though you
are going
to succeed and get ahead of me so I am going to use my power to
pull you
down. I have often heard of this spirit.
Someone plants more
maize or increases their number of cattle or starts a
business. We don't
like it and try to harm the enterprising person. Or is it
a spirit of
parasitism by which we hang on to those who are going ahead in
the hopes
that we too will gain something.
But when a drowning person hangs on to
another he or she drags the other
down and they both sink. Or is it a spirit
of 'self-destruct'? This country
is so disappointing that I no longer care
and just enjoy making life hard
for others. It is like the horrific account
of someone who is HIV positive
and says: I don't care any more and goes
around infecting others.
Whatever it is it is blocking the efforts of those
who want to 'do something'
with their lives and do something for the
country. We have created an
environment hostile to enterprise - unless you
are a big person with money
and connections. Then you can push your way
forward. But most people simply
want to make a decent living, feed their
families and send their children to
school.
As things are, it requires
colossal sustained efforts to do this, even
though it should be a relatively
manageable thing to do in a country blessed
with a wide variety of resources
and with people who are creative and
energetic. We are like people in a
prison dreaming of freedom. And every
time we try to escape we are pushed
backed behind locked doors.
|