Latest News Editor's Choice


Opinion / Columnist

What is Shingi Munyeza up to?

03 Jul 2016 at 16:10hrs | Views
FAITH Ministries Senior Pastor Shingi Munyeza has been courting controversy as he delves into politics, sparking speculation that he is angling for at least a Parliamentary constituency in the 2018 elections.Pr Munyeza, who runs gambling houses and has facilities to sell alcohol, has in recent months posted inflammatory statements on social media.

Although it could not be immediately be ascertained as to which political party he belongs or may wish to represent in the 2018 elections, or indeed if he is angling to launch his own party, many say his statements have firmly cast his political colours as an opposition activist.

Pr Munyeza recently said, "A little while ago I warned of severe turbulence. We have now entered into severe turbulence. Further warning — the severe turbulence will last longer than expected. Zimbabwe is going through change which involves everyone so it becomes the country that God always wanted it to be."

The prominent pastor and businessman quoted Ezekiel 3:8-9, which says, "I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed by their faces, though they are a rebellious house."

He did not respond to e-mailed queries saying he was "confused by the list of questions".

Some of the controversial statements are titled "10-Point Plan to Run Zimbabwe Limited" and "What I would have done with the US$200 million facility".

Under his 10-point plan, Pr Munyeza calls for massive civil servants retrenchments and privatisation of State-owned enterprises. He also advocates reversal of the indigenisation policy from the 51 percent threshold for locals to 10 percent, and he criticises historic land reforms that have seen around 300 000 black families benefiting from farms previously held by just 6 000 whites.

Pr Munyeza also speaks strongly against bond notes which are set to be introduced by Government to arrest capital flight through externalisation.

He wrote, "Definitely stay away from the printing press by ensuring the necessary foreign currency controls are in place to arrest externalisation. No to bond notes. Conclude a balance of payment support through current process with IMF — this will ensure my working capital requirement. No to bond notes.

Pr Munyeza went on, "Government immediately cuts its expenditure and begins to live within its means — privatise or commercialise State-owned enterprises. Major retrenchment is overdue." He, however, called for the removal of Western economic sanctions on Zimbabwe saying, "No need for market restrictions in a free world."

Source - sundaynews
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.