Churches Implore ED To Initiate National Dialogue

Zimbabwean clerics have once again called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to engage opposition parties in genuine, inclusive dialogue to save the country from descending to armageddon.

Zimbabwe Divine Destiny Church leader Ancelimo Magaya on Sunday told the Daily News that Mnangagwa should humble himself and initiate dialogue with opposition politicians. Said Magaya:

We wish to say the government is held liable to the suffering of the masses and we call upon President Mnangagwa to climb down from his high horse and open up for dialogue that will result in … political stability, justice and peace.

We call upon the church to strengthen their resolve in advancing the interest of the poor masses in advocating for social justice. The church should speak the truth boldly to the powers-that-be.

Magaya also urged citizens to keep on pushing the country’s rulers to be accountable and give dialogue a chance. He added:

We urge all Zimbabweans to keep pressing for leadership accountability and using all non-violent means to force the government to open up for dialogue.

As the church, which is a voice of conscience to the nation, we observe that there is increasing polarity between the State and the masses — with rising tension, mistrust and suspicion, as well as continued arrests where the government uses the lockdown regulations to thwart dissenting voices.

The general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), Blessings Makwara, also called for dialogue among Zimbabweans.

The call for national dialogue was also echoed by the administrator of the Harare Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart — Father Kennedy Muguti. He said:

We call upon all political parties, civil society and churches to come together and speak with one voice because the current situation is not healthy.

More: Daily News