Churches take ED to task over right to demonstrate

CHURCHES have challenged President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to create an enabling environment that allows citizens to exercise their constitutional right to demonstrate without hindrance.

This came at a time journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and opposition Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume are languishing in remand prison charged with inciting people to protest against corruption and the deteriorating economic situation in the country on July 31.

Several other opposition activists and nurses have also been arrested for protests.

“The church appealed to the government to create an enabling environment for the peaceful exercise of the citizens’ right to express themselves as enshrined in the Constitution,” Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe said in a statement yesterday.

“We are appalled by the way the government is treating health services workers while we are having a spike in COVID-19 infections. We urge the government to show leadership and resolve the impasse with nurses.”

They further challenged the government to seek and promote national dialogue towards resolving the current political and economic crises while prioritising the welfare of the people and interests of the nation in their decisions and actions.

The churches said the government was, however, not making an effort to fight corruption.

“We note the effort by the President towards stamping out corruption and curbing abuse of office as seen by taking action on ministers found wanting for one reason or the other,” the churches said.

“We, however, believe this is just a scratch on the surface; more can still be done to root out the endemic corruption. There is a need to heighten the demonstration of heroic resistance to greed, corruption, nepotism, violence and all manner of inclinations towards evil.”