Churches seek Mugabe impeachment

Several church groups are expected to take to the streets of Harare tomorrow to protest against the government before submitting a petition to Parliament calling for a motion to impeach President Robert Mugabe over his failure to arrest the current challenges facing the country.

Among the groups expected to participate in the protest are Bishop Ancelimo Magaya's Zimbabwe Divine Destiny, Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, Christian Voice, Zimbabwe Pastors' Fellowship and Prayer Network Zimbabwe.

The church groups said the economic and social crises prevailing in the country had reached alarming levels and were even threatening the survival of the helpless masses, and ultimately peace of the nation.

"We demand for government to acknowledge that Zimbabwe is in a dire situation that requires an extraordinary collective response to rescue the country from total collapse that may trigger a regrettable spontaneous civil unrest," a statement by the churches read.

The church groups will petition both government and Parliament demanding the opening of a formal national dialogue that urgently seeks to resolve the national crises.

"Failure of which the church demands Parliament to move a motion of impeachment of the President over failed governance, and subsequently set up a transitional authority to handle the crises and carry the nation through until the next election," said the churches

The groups also spoke against the police's heavy-handedness in dealing with peaceful anti-government protests.
"The Church's mandate is not restricted to feeding the hungry, comforting the offended or bandaging the bruised. That would be a mockery of the Church or misreading of scriptures.

"Rather and more importantly, it is to prevent hunger, offence and bruises from happening by rebuking the spirits that cause them and the human agents used by those spirits. The Church goes further to teach people how to purge society of such spirits and prevent such heartless human agents from destroying livelihoods and social moral fabric," the churches added.

Meanwhile, the Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) has called off its 200km march over allegations of heavy interference and disruptions by State security operatives.

At one point, marchers were detained by the police.

"It is with a heavy heart that I am forced to call off our 200km march. The lives of our leaders are in danger and as revolutionaries we have to retreat at times and restrategise. I can't share finer details of security concerns as some comrades are still to get to safety," RTUZ leader Obert Masaraure said.

Masaraure said they would look at alternative non-violent ways to keep on pressurising the government to address their plight.