” Not here “Zim VP Chiwenga tells LGBTQ+ community
By Delicious Mathuthu
Zimbabwean Vice President, General (Retired) Dr. Constantine Chiwenga says attempts by the LGBTQ+ (Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer etc) community to recruit intelligent young and less privileged Zimbabweans through scholarship offers is unwelcome and criminal in the country.
Vice President Chiwenga came out strong against the community’s attempts to offer scholarships to less privileged students who want to pursue their studies, saying in the first place their existence in the country is criminal, unchristian and unAfrican.
He said the bold move by the community, which has a foreign agenda, is a direct challenge on Government’s authority which is backed by the constitution.
“The Government of Zimbabwe strongly and firmly rejects and denounces as unlawful, unchristian, anti-Zimbabwean and unAfrican insidious attempts by foreign interests to entice, lure and recruit, Zimbabwe’s less privileged but able students into Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activities and malpractices through offers of educational scholarships.
“Zimbabwe has legislated against all such deviances, making any offers predicated on the same aberrations both unlawful and criminal, and a grave and gross affront on our national values and ethos as a Christian Nation.
“To that end, Government sees such scholarship offers as a direct challenge on its authority, and thus will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to enforce national laws, and to protect and defend national values,” V.P. Chiwenga said in a government issued statement on Thursday (15/02/2024).
Despite not exclusively banning the existence of the LGBTQ+ community in Zimbabwe and allowing every citizen the right to equality and non-discrimination in the constitution (Chapter 4 [56]) which states that all persons are equal before the law and have the right to equal protection
and benefit of the law; and states that:
“every person has the right not to be treated in an unfairly discriminatory manner on such grounds as their nationality, race, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class, religious belief, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status…,” the constitution, on marriage rights, outrightly bans same sex marriages.
“Persons of the same sex are prohibited from marrying each other,” reads the third item of section 78 of Chapter 4 of the Zimbabwe Constitution on the bill of rights.
In line with V.P. Chiwenga’s sentimental statement, which some sections of the affected community called homophobic, the Zimbabwe constitution further reserves the Chapter 4 (56) right to non-descrimination based on protecting public morality as written on section 86.
“Limitation of rights and freedoms:
(1)…
(2) The fundamental rights and freedoms set out in this Chapter may be limited only in terms of a law of general application and to the extent that the limitation is fair, reasonable, necessary and justifiable in a democratic society based on openness, justice, human dignity, equality and freedom, taking into account all relevant factors:
including-
(a) the nature of the right or freedom concerned:
(b) the purpose of the limitation, in particular whether it is necessary in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality…,” reads the constitution.
V.P. Chiwenga said alien and anti-life promotions through such offers as the LGBTQ+ scholarships will not be accepted in the local education system as it does not resonate with Zimbabwean morals and culture.
“Our schools and institutions of higher learning will not entertain applicants, let alone enroll persons associated with such alien, anti-life, un-African and unchristian values which are being promoted and cultivated by, as well as practiced in, decadent societies with whom we share no moral or cultural affinities.
“Zimbabwe is a sovereign, African State with definite laws and values which typify it, cutting it apart from other mores,” he said, before adding that less privileged young Zimbabweans with good grades should apply for government grants and scholarships instead of selling their souls to the devil.
“They should never be tempted to trade or sell their souls for such abominable and devilish offers,” Vice President Chiwenga said.
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