Br. Alfonce Kugwa – Harare, Zimbabwe
In a Pastoral Letter issued Thursday, the Catholic Bishops said Zimbabwe was born out of the hunger for freedom from oppression, racism, inequality, violation of fundamental human rights and dignity, and poverty. The Bishops stated that Zimbabwe’s independence ushered high hopes for the majority; hope for economic growth, political tolerance, participatory democracy, justice, peace and reconciliation and these pillars should be respected.
Need to acknowledge dark chapter of Matebeleland
While the Bishops recognise some strides made soon after independence in areas of the economy, education and health sectors, they cannot turn a blind eye to how things have changed resulting in the suffering of the masses.
“As we celebrate our forty years of independence, we acknowledge that we have made some achievements, but also some things went wrong along the way. We need to acknowledge that dark chapter in our national memory, which led to the killing of many civilians in Matebeleland and parts of Midlands soon after independence. We have missed so many opportunities that God has given us. We missed the opportunity soon after independence to redefine and seek a different political path from what colonialism had chartered for us. We missed the opportunity of national healing processes based on the policy of reconciliation,” read the Pastoral Letter.
Peace and Reconciliation Commission still to have an impact
The Bishops highlighted that there was a hunger for reconciliation and addressing the past hurts and injustices. According to the Bishops, The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) gives people hope of resolving conflicts in the country. Still, they are concerned that it has to be fully operationalised with a precise duration and clear mandate for people to gain confidence in the Commission.
A distressed economy and hopelessness among citizens
The Bishops call upon the government to address the challenges assailing the country’s economy leading to desperation, especially among the youth and increased poverty among the citizens.
The prelates stated: “Zimbabwe has generally experienced a gradual economic recession that has led to closing down of industries and companies, foreign investor flight, job losses, and the decline in agricultural productivity, leading to escalation of poverty levels. A look at our health and education institutions shows a gradual and steep decline from where we started.”
Coronavirus: Our line of defence must be prevention
With the advent of coronavirus, the Catholic Church leaders urged the government to scale-up efforts to fight the pandemic considering that the country’s health sector is not in good shape and is lacking necessary equipment and medication to cure ordinary diseases.
“Now with the current COVID-19, there is need for outright and vigorous efforts to fight and prevent this pandemic, which if it is not carefully handled in our country, may spell doom to the whole of our nation where hospital structures are not fully equipped and ready to combat it. Our only line of defence is prevention. Let us be proactive and work hard to save lives,” the Bishops said.
Embrace dialogue and fight corruption
The Bishops emphasised on the need for dialogue. They called on the government to address corruption and other challenges such as international isolation, collapsing infrastructure, inequitable use of resources and joblessness, leading to massive emigration.