DIALOGUE between opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson
Chamisa and President Emmerson Mnangagwa remains key in resolving the country’s
multi-layered political and economic crises and churches will push for the talks
to materialise, says Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) secretary-general
Kenneth Mtata (KM). Mtata recently sat down to discuss this and other issues
with NewsDay (ND) Midlands reporter Brenna Matendere. Below are the excerpts:
ND: Who is Kenneth Mtata?
KM: My background training is in automobile electrics,
theology and public policy. As a Christian, what drives me is the desire to see
the generality of Zimbabweans enjoying peaceful, united and joyful
relationships characterised by shared economic prosperity. This is what I think
Jesus meant when he said: “I came so that they may have life and have it in
abundance” (John 10:10). My contribution to this has been through my efforts in
uniting progressive voices in the church and civil society. In public life, I
have been working with others to find a negotiated settlement to the challenges
facing the nation. So dialogue has been one of my main missions.
ND: As ZCC, what work have you been doing to promote peace
and harmony in Zimbabwe?
KM: The ZCC has been working with other church bodies and
civil society organisations to promote peace through dialogue. We have
dialogues happening at local community levels where we want to activate the
agency of local actors in addressing local problems. We have also dialogue
platforms as organised society, especially now through the national convergence
platform. We continue to explore ways of pushing political and policy actors to
find each other to resolve the challenges the nation is faces. We also as ZCC
address pressing humanitarian issues by providing food to the needy as well as
helping them to grow food for themselves. Above everything, we train our own
members to be peace champions.
ND: What is your assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe
today and the socio-political environment?
KM: Most of the time we have what can be called negative
peace, that is, a situation where we do not have all-out war, but where more
relationships are characterised by hatred and ill feelings. This negativity
characterises relationships within and between political parties. It is the
relationship in different organisations and society. This kind of peace is not
conducive for sustainable development. It does not allow for co-operation and
sharing of resources. When one does something positive, the other feels obliged
to destroy it. This kind of peace has created deep suspicion among people.
There is lack of co-operation in Parliament and across different sectors of
society.
ND: You wanted to bring Mnangagwa and Chamisa to the
negotiating table. What happened to your plans?
KM: The intention was to cultivate a culture of dialogue
among Zimbabweans across different levels of society. Mnangagwa and Chamisa
represent the largest followership of voters if we use the figures of the last
election. Their co-operation engenders a positive national atmosphere.
The two could have achieved more if they co-operated than
when they worked against each other.
So their co-operation is what we wanted to promote since
before and after the elections in 2018. We think it remains important. We must
promote it. We will still do that.
ND: What is the church’s view on the national lockdown and
how has it affected faith-based organisations?
KM: The lockdown was necessary to curb the spread of the
COVID-19. It affected the churches and other faith-based organisations as it
did other sectors of society since religion is a contact sport. It was, however,
necessary.
ND: As churches, are you happy with how government is
managing COVID-19. What more could government do?
KM: COVID-19 comes at a time the nation is facing
challenges at three levels. (1) The nation is not united, (2) the Constitution
has not been fully implemented, and (3) the economy is weak, hence, the health
services are in a state of dysfunction. People can debate the cause of such
fragility, but the fact of the matter is that with this triple challenge, there
could never have been adequate preparedness for COVID-19. Nevertheless, the
government has an opportunity to address all these issues in a holistic way by
bringing all key stakeholders to contribute towards a comprehensive
post-COVID-19 Zimbabwe.
ND: In your view, are the country’s leaders, Mnangagwa and
Chamisa going to sit down for talks like their predecessors the late former
President Robert Mugabe and the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai did?
KM: We hope they do. It is in their best political
interest, but also in the interest of the Zimbabweans.
ND: As the church you have been trying to resolve past
conflicts, especially Gukurahundi, what work have you done so far in that
regard and what are your future plans?
KM: We think it is an issue that has to be resolved, but
which can also be resolved in a way that it will not continue hurting the
nation. We have proposed 10 principles to effectively bring the Gukurahundi to
a closure. We have translated these to many languages. We have also engaged
traditional leaders on the Gukurahundi issue to find common ground. We have
also carried out some of these tasks with the National Peace and Reconciliation
Commission as the constitutionally-mandated body to deal with such issues.
ND: There has been a trend of abductions and torture of MDC
Alliance activists, what is your take on that and what can be the solution?
KM: We have issued a statement to denounce abduction and
torture as a means of dealing with political disagreements. It spells out our
call for an independent investigation and punishment of perpetrators. We,
however, think that these abductions and torture are some of the issues that a
comprehensive and inclusive national dialogue could resolve once and for all.
ND: We have seen an emergence of flamboyant pastors
flaunting wealth and preaching the gospel of prosperity with miracles, what
does the doctrine of the church say about that?
KM: The gospel must address poverty and all the challenges
human beings face. But it must address the challenges for all people and not
benefit just a few. Any such gospel that enriches a few in the face of wider
societal poverty is a scam. Newsday
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