ZHOCD calls for end in political violence
By Memory Mudzani
The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) has condemned all acts of violence following the recent political violence that rocked Ward 4 Bunhu area in Murehwa where seven people affiliated to the opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), were allegedly brutalized by a group of representing Zanu PF.
ZHOCD is an ecumenical umbrella body, comprising the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC), the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) and the Union for the Development of the Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA).
During their pastoral visit in Murehwa on the 18th of January this year, representatives of the ZHOCD leadership met six of the seven victims of political violence who they said were elderly people who were brutally and lethally attacked.
They said besides being a blatant violation of citizens constitutional rights, these attacks go against our social, cultural and moral norms regarding the honor and respect that must be given to the elders in our communities.
In their press statement, ZHOCD said the Church pleads to every Zimbabwean and all political players to uphold the sanctity of human life by maintaining peace.
ZHOCD further called on the Government of Zimbabwe to promote the fundamental values enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013 and demonstrate sufficient goodwill to its full implementation and demanded that all Political Party leaders must publicly condemn their supporters and leaders who are perpetrating violence.
The Church also encouraged Political leaders to take concrete actions to foster unity, peace and to end all forms of violence.
In addition,ZHOCD pleaded with the Zimbabwe Republic Police and all other state security agencies to impartially enforce the law on offenders and perpetrators of violence and that all cases of violence must be handled with a sense of urgency and impartiality to ensure that justice is delivered for all, and peace is fostered before, during and after the 2023 elections.
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