News / National
Death doesn't move apostolic sect men
03 Aug 2017 at 12:01hrs | Views
MALE members of the ultra-conservative Johanne Marange apostolic sect stand accused of being cold-hearted to the extent of allowing their children to be decimated by preventable diseases without even batting an eye.
Scores of the sect's children have died from preventable and treatable diseases such as malaria, cholera, and measles, yet their fathers do not flinch from their position not to use conventional medicine.
When one of the church's local leaders, Arnold Muzariwetu, died a few years ago, the news made for depressing reading.
Muzariwetu was survived by only 25 children out of the 101 he had with his 11 wives.
Most of his children had succumbed to preventable diseases.
Among his wives, one of them had given birth 10 times, but all her progeny passed on due to treatable diseases.
To outsiders, Muzariwetu is an epitome of the sect's lack of regard for the lives of their children.
It is being argued by maternal and child health campaigners that women who belong to the sect could have gone out of their way to save their children if they were the decision-makers.
Sadly, it is their husbands who call the shots and, because of their beliefs, they do not allow their wives to give their children access to modern medical care.
The general perception that holds sway is that males consider bearing children as no more than a brick-moulding enterprise whereby a dead child can be replaced by another birth.
Maternal and child health campaigns are now gaining currency in the area, harping on this.
"Men are hard-hearted so we are targeting women who feel the pain of labour and are hurt more with the deaths of their children than men," said headman Chisuko, a Mutasa Village head, who is taking part in a Plan International-funded Women And Their Children's Health project.
"Even if a wife dies, most of these men are not moved because they will remain with many others".
And they are making headway.
Catharine Sanhanga, who at 32, had given birth 11 live times but only has three of her children surviving, was an easy convert.
Sanhanga vows never to sacrifice her children's life for religion.
"I now consult professional health care providers because losing a child really hurts," she says.
But not with men from her sect!
One, Arnold Saungweme had 10 out of his 60 children with his eight wives, reburied at Chitangazuwa reburial site in Chiadzwa.
While his family was spared by the devastating cholera outbreak of 2008, 10 of his children have succumbed to other treatable diseases.
A sociable fellow, who looks younger than his 50 years, Saungweme shared his secret to his endurance.
Beyond prayer, he credits his young looks to his diet.
Having moved to St Kelvin, just a stone's throw from Chipinge town, he survives on subsistence farming, which provides all the food needed to keep his family going.
"I fled hunger. My family was growing and we hardly had enough to eat," he said, adding he has no plans to rethink his stance on modern medicine.
He also shows little remorse for the 10 children who he said died over a number of years mostly before their fifth birthday due to "childhood illnesses like measles".
"It's not being cruel. Everyone has their own life and how they want to live it and look after the welfare of their children. We believe in anointed water… people are hit by vehicles and suffer broken bones and are healed by water.
"We believe in Jesus's holy name. That faith is enough for us and that is how we chose to live our lives," Saungweme said.
"If we are so wrong why are people flocking to get anointing water from prophets for ailments that you say are best managed by medical professionals?
"It's clear that with faith all conditions can be healed and that is what I'm sticking to," Saungweme said.
He insists though that he is touched by the loss of any of his children.
"I'm pained because that is not what one would have expected. If they had lived, I could have grown my clan," he said.
"I remember that while others would stand in class and say they wanted to be this and that (after finishing school), I would stand and say I wanted to marry 12 wives and have a big family," he says with a laugh.
"My father had four wives and 12 children and I saw the beauty of belonging to a big family then because we completely dominated the school."
He is short of four wives to reach his dream of 12.
His church is one of an estimated 160 apostolic sects that require their members to seek healing via prayer and faith and completely reject conventional medicine.
Even children are denied immunisation.
Although there has not been a definitive research on the sect, a 2011 United Nations Children's Education Fund report estimated that 2,5 million people belong to the church.
This is about a fifth of Zimbabwe's population of 13 million.
Scores of the sect's children have died from preventable and treatable diseases such as malaria, cholera, and measles, yet their fathers do not flinch from their position not to use conventional medicine.
When one of the church's local leaders, Arnold Muzariwetu, died a few years ago, the news made for depressing reading.
Muzariwetu was survived by only 25 children out of the 101 he had with his 11 wives.
Most of his children had succumbed to preventable diseases.
Among his wives, one of them had given birth 10 times, but all her progeny passed on due to treatable diseases.
To outsiders, Muzariwetu is an epitome of the sect's lack of regard for the lives of their children.
It is being argued by maternal and child health campaigners that women who belong to the sect could have gone out of their way to save their children if they were the decision-makers.
Sadly, it is their husbands who call the shots and, because of their beliefs, they do not allow their wives to give their children access to modern medical care.
The general perception that holds sway is that males consider bearing children as no more than a brick-moulding enterprise whereby a dead child can be replaced by another birth.
Maternal and child health campaigns are now gaining currency in the area, harping on this.
"Men are hard-hearted so we are targeting women who feel the pain of labour and are hurt more with the deaths of their children than men," said headman Chisuko, a Mutasa Village head, who is taking part in a Plan International-funded Women And Their Children's Health project.
"Even if a wife dies, most of these men are not moved because they will remain with many others".
And they are making headway.
Catharine Sanhanga, who at 32, had given birth 11 live times but only has three of her children surviving, was an easy convert.
Sanhanga vows never to sacrifice her children's life for religion.
"I now consult professional health care providers because losing a child really hurts," she says.
But not with men from her sect!
One, Arnold Saungweme had 10 out of his 60 children with his eight wives, reburied at Chitangazuwa reburial site in Chiadzwa.
A sociable fellow, who looks younger than his 50 years, Saungweme shared his secret to his endurance.
Beyond prayer, he credits his young looks to his diet.
Having moved to St Kelvin, just a stone's throw from Chipinge town, he survives on subsistence farming, which provides all the food needed to keep his family going.
"I fled hunger. My family was growing and we hardly had enough to eat," he said, adding he has no plans to rethink his stance on modern medicine.
He also shows little remorse for the 10 children who he said died over a number of years mostly before their fifth birthday due to "childhood illnesses like measles".
"It's not being cruel. Everyone has their own life and how they want to live it and look after the welfare of their children. We believe in anointed water… people are hit by vehicles and suffer broken bones and are healed by water.
"We believe in Jesus's holy name. That faith is enough for us and that is how we chose to live our lives," Saungweme said.
"If we are so wrong why are people flocking to get anointing water from prophets for ailments that you say are best managed by medical professionals?
"It's clear that with faith all conditions can be healed and that is what I'm sticking to," Saungweme said.
He insists though that he is touched by the loss of any of his children.
"I'm pained because that is not what one would have expected. If they had lived, I could have grown my clan," he said.
"I remember that while others would stand in class and say they wanted to be this and that (after finishing school), I would stand and say I wanted to marry 12 wives and have a big family," he says with a laugh.
"My father had four wives and 12 children and I saw the beauty of belonging to a big family then because we completely dominated the school."
He is short of four wives to reach his dream of 12.
His church is one of an estimated 160 apostolic sects that require their members to seek healing via prayer and faith and completely reject conventional medicine.
Even children are denied immunisation.
Although there has not been a definitive research on the sect, a 2011 United Nations Children's Education Fund report estimated that 2,5 million people belong to the church.
This is about a fifth of Zimbabwe's population of 13 million.
Source - dailynews
