Kunonga urges Zimbabweans to reject Tsvangirai and MDC-T

HEAD of the independent Anglican Province of Zimbabwe Archbishop Nobert Kunonga has openly declared his support for President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in the next elections.

Dr Kunonga urged Zimbabweans to reject MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his party, saying they are an embodiment of evil.

He was addressing about 200 clergymen at an annual retreat at St Augustine's Mission last week.

Dr Kunonga hailed Zanu-PF's determination to come up with solutions to challenges besieging the country through formulation of appropriate policies.

MDC-T's policies, he said, remained parochial and completely divorced from national aspirations.

"We are not choosing man, but principles and values they embody. Who is fighting against homosexuality, who is giving people land, we should stand guided by life and death," he said.

"Those politicians and churchmen who are calling for the imposition of sanctions, propagating for the inclusion of gay rights in the new constitution, and are refusing to see life, are an embodiment of evil. During elections we will reject them. We will reject death."

Dr Kunonga said his church fully supported the land reform programme, economic empowerment and indigenisation policies of Zanu-PF as well as its anti-homosexuality and anti-sanctions stances.

He branded as "evil" attempts by some politicians and churchmen to champion homosexual rights in the new constitution.

"We will choose life over death. When you give land and other critical resources to the indigenous people, oppose homosexuality and sanctions, then you are doing what God has willed for Zimbabweans, you are giving life to your people, and we will choose you.

"If what President Mugabe and Zanu-PF are doing resonates with the Bible and empowerment will of God for his people, then what can prevent us from supporting them? They are offering life, but if you are offering death to our people by calling for the imposition of sanctions then that is evil, and we will never support, but reject you.

"Does (Prime Minister) Tsvangirai call for sanctions? If that is what he is doing, then that is evil of him, and he must be rejected," said Dr Kunonga.

He expressed shock that some local political leaders and churchmen in the MDC-T were clamouring for the adoption of gay rights despite the practice being despicable to our culture and values.

Such pro-gay calls have palpably been precipitated by Western leaders like British Prime Minister David Cameron who threatened to withdraw aid from African countries that do not support homosexuality.

"We are on record, and we want to reiterate our stance that we reject the doctrine of homosexuality, as it is heretical, unscriptural, an abomination, it dehumanises and removes human dignity and integrity," said Dr Kunonga.

He castigated the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe and at the same time expressed optimism that God will continue protecting his innocent inhabitants.

"Zimbabweans have capacity to survive with or without sanctions because God wills for us, and he has sustained us under such threatening conditions imposed on us by the British, the Americans and their allies," he said.

Zimbabwe's indigenisation policy under which it says 51 percent of all investments into the country must be in the hands of locals, Dr Kunonga said, was nothing to worry about because there was no investment in any country that was secure if it does not involve locals.

"Empowerment is biblical, it is a divine inspiration. It is a sure way of burying imperialism and it resurrects the life of the indigene. It means taking the economic grip into our hands," said Dr Kunonga.