For the second year running, Anglicans in Zimbabwe have been forced to find another place to mark the memorial of African martyr Bernard Mizeki after being denied access to their official shrine.
Last year worshippers, who had travelled from all over the country, were driven away by the Zimbabwe Republic Police despite assurances from the government that they would not be disturbed or harassed.
The key to ending this endless abuse and harassment of good and honest and brave people in Zimbabwe by the corrupt kleptocracy of Robert Mugabe lies in the hands of Pretoria. They have the power to force Mugabe to stand down. But they are embarrassed that someone who helped overthrow white rule has now himself become a tyrant. They feel loyalty to him and hence the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe goes on. Millions of them have fled, many to shanty towns (‘informal settlements’) in South Africa where they are victimised by resentful black South Africans who believe them to be undercutting wages and taking their jobs. To their credit both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have pleaded with Mugabe to go. Sadly, the next generation of leaders have been men of weasel words (I exempt the bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa who have by and large tried to help the people of Zimbabwe and opposed Mugabe – although even then, the newish Abp of Cape Town was, not long ago, dragged into a typical Mugabe scam when church leaders from South Africa went to Zim and believed that they had brokered some kind of deal. Needless to say Mugabe just used it for PR purposes and went his merry way.)
It struck me after I posted above that you have heard me say this kind of thing before. Readers of this blog will have noticed that mention of Zimbabwe has me jerking at the leash, and will have guessed that I have lived and worked there. However, as they say in Shona, Zvakwana! enough is enough! I vow a Trappist-like silence on the topic.
2.,
Please don’t. Truth should be told.