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The church must lead the struggle for change in Zimbabwe
Kebapetse Lotshwao, Mmegi (Gaborone)
November 22, 2005

http://allafrica.com/stories/200511220678.html

At independence in 1980, Zimbabwe had the second most advanced capitalist economy in Africa after South Africa. By 1979,a year before independence,there were 1, 340 manufacturing industries.Commercial agricuilture was the backbone of the economy,producing rich cash crops like tobacco and fruits for export. Together with mining,agriculture was the source of raw materials for industry and industry supported agriculture through production of fertilizer and pesticides.Education was also developed because manufacturing and commercial agriculture required skilled labour force,there were 12 000 graduates at independence in Zimbabwe while other countries had less than 20 graduates at independence.

The settlers built Zimbabwe on the image of the metropolitan proving Karl Marx correct that: the country that is more developed industrially only shows to the less developed the image of its own future.Present Zimbabwe was the industrial nucleus of the Central African Federation (1953-63) and further economic developments occurred during those 10 years. Although April 18 is a symbolic day for Zimbabwe marking attainment of independence from many years of minority rule,this is the same day that Zimbabwe was thrown into reverse gear as the current predator regime came to power.

Between 1983 and 1987 it carried a bloody campaign against Matebele. It is believed that between 10 000 and
20 000 Matebele were killed by the Shona controlled post independence government of Zimbabwe.

This was ethnic cleansing against the country s second largest ethnolinguistic community and the perpetrators have been let off the hook and their campaign now continue against sympathisers of the political opposition. In 1998, the government committed the country's military to a war in the Great Lakes on the side of Kabila.What was Zimbabwe's national interest there? Nil,it was the interest of the ruling elite only.No benefit whatsoever for an ordinary Zimbabwean in the villages,towns and cattle posts of Botswana.Blood of Zimbabwean soldiers was shed for no good reason in that war that was financed from public treasury. In 2000, the regime started a politically motivated and economically suicidal land reform against popular will.

Well, land is an asset that people should own,but David Blair (2002)recorded the Zimbabwean president as saying land will not be redistributed to followers of the opposition. Land became not an asset now but a weapon of political patronage showing that indeed the land reform was pursued in bad faith.

Commercial agriculture collapsed immediately,leaving thousands unemployed and hungry for food production was disrupted.The war veterans were the vanguards here.But Sunday Standard recently carried the story of a young officer in the Zimbabwean military who escaped to Botswana because he was forced to masquerade as a war veteran during the suicidal land seizure.Today the Zimbabwean government blames drought for the food shortages.

This is not true,even the deputy agriculture minister recently said the problem was that land had been given to people who know nothing about food production ( God bless him for telling the truth). Despite the serious food shortages,the ruling elite with enough food for themselves reject food aid for the odinary people of Zimbabwe. In 2005, they started a clean up campaign against the poor whom they accused of being squatters. Thousands were left homeless and some innocent children were killed by government during the demolitions. In all these,Botswana and South Africa were greatest losers alongside the poor of Zimbabwe.

Thousands of immigrants (illegal) came to these countries for survival.The two countries spend millions on repatriations and crime has worsened in the two countries because of the influx of thousand of immigrants with idle hands.

Convinced that SADC and AU have failed to resolve the Zimbabwean problem and have become part of the problem themselves , I think it is now time for the church to lead the struggle for change in Zimbabwe and the ultimate liberation of the country from despotism.

SADC and AU are blanket organisations,aid mobilisation schemes and trade unions for African leaders and have betrayed the people of Zimbabwe.The Catholic church in particular must take the front line.

It has a record of mobilising people against civilian and military dictatorships in Latin America leadng to the defeat and collapse of such regimes. Secondly,the despot in Zimbabwe is its member just like Ferdinand Marcos was in Phillipines. Liberation theologians in the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe and the region must emerge from their hiding caves and lead the struggle like their counterparts in Latin America those years.

They must put to practice great theories of liberation theology and liberate Zimbabwe. One such theory is that of Jurgen Moltmann who said the church must have a society transforming vision,not personal salvation only. Johannes Baptist Metz also said there is political dimension to faith and the church must be an institution of social criticism and political change in times of need.This is the only way Zimbabwe can be saved.

Elections have failed to bring change because they are never free and fair,the military is also on his side. But SADC and AU observers will tell you the elections were free and fair when they arrived in Zimbabwe only a few days before the elections.

The church must stand against what is inhuman like rejection of food aid when people are dying,it must side with the oppressed and the poor and lead the struggle for defeat of despotism.God stands against oppression and those who follow him must do likewise.

Inaction of the church when things are like they are in Zimbabwe is a sin before God,liberation theologians must stand up now.The Bishop of Bulawayo alone cannot succeed and he needs assistance.

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