Zimbabweans have never experienced real prosperity

Ever since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain 38 years ago, the majority of its people have never experienced real prosperity, joy and peace - as there has been one tragedy after another.

There can be any number of reasons why the people of Zimbabwe have always been a suffering lot - most of which have been vigorously tackled, such as poor governance and corruption.

As far as I am concerned, this goes far beyond mere mismanagement or corruption.

There are far greater forces at play in this country - far, far much greater.

As the nation commemorated the death of Josiah Magama Tongogara who died on December 26, 1979 - and the unending debate on whether he was killed by his own comrades - I could not help but wonder if our leaders' propensity to shed blood could have a bearing on the situation this country finds itself in.

We can never deny that there are always consequences to the shedding of innocent blood - whether in the Christian faith, or our own culture.

The very first brutal act of murder recorded in the Holy Bible - that of Cain killing his brother Abel - is a very good starting point, as God held him (Cain) accountable for his heinous deeds, and was banished.

His banishment meant that his offspring and their offspring and their offspring - generations and generations - had been cut off due to this murderous act.

In our own culture, we believe in what is called ngozi - that is the avenging spirits of those who would have been killed, on those responsible.

Only atonement for one's sin is the only way to be absolved of such a curse.

Even some within our Christian community appreciate this fact, as we have witnessed their prayer sessions at scenes of gruesome road traffic accidents - some of which have become "black spots", as more lives continue to be claimed at exactly the same areas.

Therefore, considering the dark murderous history of our country - could Zimbabwe not be a huge "black spot" that needs atonement for its bloody sins?

I will confine my discourse to the post-independence era - as this is our most recent, and thus, most influential period, that is most likely to affect our lives today.

Needless to say, the atrocities committed on our people should still have a bearing on our lives today - and, by no means, do I overlook them.

Our most recent history takes us back to the 1980s genocidal Gukurahundi era, whereby over 20 000 - some put the figure at over 45 000 - innocent and unarmed women, men and children, mostly from the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces, were brutally killed by the military's 5th Brigade.

This killing spree did not end there - as there were continued dubious road ‘‘accidents'' of perceived rivals of those in power up to the new millennium.

In the 2000s, there was a renewed spike in the Zimbabwe regime's murderous streak, as hundreds of farm workers and white commercial farmers were killed during the chaotic land reform programme.

Thereafter, more hundreds of opposition, mainly MDC, supporters were murdered - the culmination being after the 2008 elections.

After the Thabo Mbeki brokered government of national unity there was relative calm - till the still fresh events of August 1, 2018, whereby at least six innocent people, mostly bystanders, were shot and killed by security forces using live ammunition to disperse unarmed protestors.

With so much spilling of blood by the Zimbabwe regime, would we be so wrong to categorise the nation as a "black spot", and "cursed"?

As mentioned earlier, if some Christian churches see it necessary to pray for atonement at so-called "black spots", due to road traffic accidents that resulted in the spilling of blood at that area - as that spot would now be regarded as cursed, and would continue to claim lives - why would the same not be necessary for the nation of Zimbabwe - where thousands of innocent lives have been lost?

We cannot afford to ignore these realities, as there are countless souls crying out - as Jehovah God Himself said in Genesis 4:10 - after Cain had killed his brother Abel - "What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground."

Our nation needs healing - and it needs it NOW!

That can only happen once our leaders  and us as a nation, at large - repent from our murderous lives, and seek true counsel and forgiveness from the Almighty God.