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NewsDay

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‘Arrest divisive securocrats’

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Church leaders on Thursday called for the arrest of senior State security bosses accused of uttering divisive statements deemed as inciting violence. In an interview with NewsDay on the sidelines of a meeting on national healing, reconciliation and integration in Harare last Thursday, Bishop Ancelmo Magaya of Grace Ablaze Ministries International said the role of […]

Church leaders on Thursday called for the arrest of senior State security bosses accused of uttering divisive statements deemed as inciting violence.

In an interview with NewsDay on the sidelines of a meeting on national healing, reconciliation and integration in Harare last Thursday, Bishop Ancelmo Magaya of Grace Ablaze Ministries International said the role of security forces on issues of peace building and national healing ought to be put under the spotlight.

“Anyone of the securocrats heard uttering statements that are potentially explosive and can instigate violence should be arrested,” said Magaya.

“Most of these people are guilty of the violence happening in this country and I feel that as a church our critical role is to openly alert perpetrators of violence that one day justice will happen, and we have openly said this in various forums.

“The role of the police on issues of peace building and national healing is not clear because most of the time they arrest the victims of violence instead of the perpetrators of violence. Our police force has been mandated by the law to arrest perpetrators of political violence, but we do not see that happening because there is selective application of the law.”

During the meeting, Bishop Mpande Lazarus Khanye of the Presbyterian Church of Africa asked the co-ministers in the Organ of National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI) to explain how pastors were expected to work on peace-building initiatives and implement programmes when people were haunted by draconian pieces of legislation like the Public Order and Security Act.

“As churches, we have a challenge in this country because people have been haunted by fear and even if we call for a meeting, people are not sure that we are implementing peace programmes. Do you have mechanisms to ensure people and pastors doing peace-building initiatives are safe?” asked Khanye. ONHRI co-minister Sekai Holland admitted police were acting illegally.

“There is nowhere in the law where it says people should ask permission from the police to hold meetings. The law demands people to only inform the police that they have a meeting so that they provide security,” she said.