Mnangagwa must incorporate a National Day of Prayer and Fasting

Over the past few weeks, our political and economic landscape is showing signs of deterioration, and National Dialogue Forum (NDF), an initiative brought by my own school of thought has been a topical issue advocated by many stakeholders both at home and abroad.

I'm suggesting that President Mnangagwa appoint a Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs to collaborate National Politics and Religion. In my school of thought im advocating for Public Affairs Religious Liberty day where national leadership, church leaders, civic leaders, civic society, academics, policy makers, politicians, labour unions, activists, business community come together for a national day of prayer and fasting once per annum. This day must be incorporated in the national calendar. I'm advocating a national day of prayer and fasting be gazeted in our national charter and be enshrined in our constitution.

All mechanisms must be put in place to advocate for peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe. One major key aspect which politicians and national leadership tend to forget is to set a national day of prayer and fasting. Our problems are beyond human control and we must allow divine intervention to take a leading role in all the processes. Ordinary Zimbabweans are losing hope in the current situations and they are showing signs of frustrations which can be a national security threat. To deal with that one of the core-ideas is to pin our hope on Jesus Christ. In this regard, negative sentiments about this concept maybe rife on different platforms, but it sets the opportunity for national peace and reconciliation. It is prudent that we remind ourselves that religion and politics have historically collaborated to suppress critical thought while promoting subservience to the ruling class.

So this must be a genuine concept and initiative. To start with, religion, particularly Christianity, was crucial to de-toxication of national politics in pre-colonial Africa. Amongst the most important ingredients are prayer, fasting, peace and reconciliation project, tolerance and national healing. Judging from experience, which I hope we can learn from, there is only one objective the national leadership hopes this initiative and religious gathering will achieve. Zimbabweans are heavily divided, indecisive politics, our politics is toxic and have divergence of views on national matters.

I believe the National Day of Prayer and Fasting will go down in history as a time when the Church came together in unity and made a stand and repented and cried out for Godly decisions to be made in the political and media arenas in this country. The Lord does not shut His ears to the petitions of His people, nor does He turn a blind eye to the sinful ways of this generation. I'm expecting leaders who hold important positions across Zimbabwe to start making decisions which will benefit the whole community and bring back a Godly Nation. We have so many bruises amongst them Gukurahundi, chaotic land reforms, 2000 political victims, Murambatsvina, 2008 political scenes, August 1 shootings amongst many others and we must be pre-scribed to national healing and reconciliation.


Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo – Doctor of Philosophy ( International Development) – Candidate at Women's University of Africa and can be contacted at tinamuzala@gmail.com