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Church leaders bribed to back State - Ncube
Foster Dongozi, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
June 04, 2006

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=988

A FIERCE critic of the government, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, has alleged that church leaders have been given farms and monetary gifts to campaign for the government.

Archbishop Ncube made the startling allegations to The Standard a week after leaders of Zimbabwe Council of Churches were hosted by President Robert Mugabe at State House where they threw their support behind the government.

Densen Mafinyane, the secretary-general of the ZCC said during the meeting with President Mugabe: "We love Zimbabwe and support your (government) efforts."

ZCC president Bishop Peter Nemapare, not to be outdone, sang praises of the government. "We know we have a government that we must support, interact with and draw attention (to concerns)," he said.

"Those of us who have different ideas about this country surely must know we have a government which listens."

The ZCC leadership, in a brazen show of bias towards Zanu PF, reversed a negative report on last year’s Parliamentary elections and forced its partners to declare the elections free and fair, according to senior members.

ZCC was one of the accredited election observers.

Ncube said: "Some of our church leaders have been given farms and money by the ruling party and government to campaign for them. The reason why you see some church leaders singing government’s praises is because they have already been bought. When somebody gives you money, you cannot start pointing out their shortcomings."

While Nemapare was not immediately available for comment, Mafinyane said he had neither received a farm nor gifts from the State.

But Ncube said the ZCC leadership should spend more time ministering to suffering Zimbabweans instead of feasting with politicians. "Pastors should have compassion and feeling for the ordinary people instead of standing by the ruling class and the rich."

Ncube alleged the Central Intelligence Organisation had infiltrated churches in a bid to monitor sermons. "The evil infiltration has become even more sustained now with the government creating its own Zanu PF pastors to divide the church," he said.

Ncube also urged Mugabe to resign, adding he had dismally failed to lead the country.

"I know that even the Pope has sent Mugabe messages urging him to resolve the problems in Zimbabwe. The problem with that man is that he does not listen to advice. He listens to himself and his sentiments of dictatorship."

The outspoken cleric said he did not hate Mugabe as claimed by the President.

Ncube had no kind words for Nemapare and Mafinyane either. "As for Nemapare, I am not really surprised by his statements. He supports Mugabe; he is a Zanu PF loyalist. Mafinyane always changes his stance; today he will have a certain opinion, tomorrow that opinion will have changed."

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