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Zimbabwe
christians targeted
Christians Together for Justice and Peace (CTJP)
October 13, 2004
Christians Together
for Justice and Peace, an informal, ecumenical group of church leaders
based in Bulawayo, convened a meeting of local pastors and other church
leaders on Wednesday 13th October at St Mary’s Cathedral. The
purpose of the meeting was to consider how the NGO Bill will impact on
the work of the churches, and in the light of that understanding to decide
on a joint Christian response. To this end Mr Josephat Tshuma, a lawyer,
had been asked to address the group on the implications of the Bill for
church work, and he was in attendance for this purpose.
The CIO however intervened,
advising that the meeting was banned under the provisions of the Public
Order and Security Act. The police had not been notified of the proposed
meeting any more than Christians Together have ever notified the authorities
of their regular meetings concerned with church business. The CIO requested
the chairperson of the group, Fr Barnabas Nqindi together with Fr Danisa
Khumalo, the Director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace
(Matabeleland Diocese) who was to have co-chaired the meeting, to accompany
them to the Central Police Station. Mr Tshuma kindly went with them In
their absence those who had gathered for the meeting adjourned to the
Cathedral for a time of prayer.
After approximately
one hour the CIO detail and Fr Nqindi together with Fr Khumalo and Mr
Tshuma returned to St Mary’s. The gathering was informed that the police
would not allow the meeting to proceed so after a word of explanation
the people dispersed.
There is surely a
certain irony in church leaders effectively being banned from considering
the implications of a new piece of legislation upon their Christian work.
And the heavy-handed intervention of the police on this occasion under
POSA hardly gives the church encouragement to expect any greater degree
of freedom under the proposed NGO Bill – even under the exemption granted
by the latter to "any religious body in respect of activities confined
to religious work".
Visit
the CTJP fact sheet
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