Apostolic sects send out cholera SOS

THE Union for the Development of Apostolic and Zion Churches in Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA) has pleaded with Government to consider assisting apostolic sects with knowledge and resources to stop the spread of cholera.

UDACIZA is an umbrella body of apostolic sects in Zimbabwe and has over 600 sects registered under it.. In an interview with The Herald, UDACIZA secretary-general Reverend Edson Tsvakai said they are seeking assistance from the Ministry of Health and Child Care and other organisations to assist their members to fight cholera.

“We are equally concerned about the cholera outbreak that has already claimed quite a number of people. Although we have been educating many sects on hygiene matters over the past years our resources are limited. We would like to join hands with the Ministry of Health to stop the spread of cholera and typhoid,” he said.

Rev Tsvakai said there was need for church leaders like prophets and bishops to be educated on cholera and to have their places of worship inspected.

“Considering our situation there is an urgent need for places of worship to be inspected. Most prophets operate in the bushes. It is worrisome because usually some of us gather in very large numbers yet there are no toilets or clean water to use.

“Some of the prophets and bishops use unclean buckets and water when praying for their members and they sometimes drink the same water. We need health officials that we can move around with to educate our members about hygiene and water-borne diseases as well as giving them material to use such as sanitisers, soaps, pills, clean water bottles and Waterguard so that they purify their water,” he said.

He also noted that the cholera outbreak came at a time when most apostolic sects are holding their national conferences and chances of spreading the disease were very high.

“August to October is a season for big conferences, but most sects do not practise good hygiene. The environment and material used is often unclean. Open defecation is rife as they cannot hire mobile toilets. So we are saying it’s an advantage if we can move around with health personnel and educate people during their gatherings about hygiene starting with the leadership,” said Rev Tsvakai.

He also said that some sects did not believe in the use of pills to treat cholera and typhoid.