OUTSPOKEN musician and staunch Zanu PF critic Hosiah Chipanga has criticised some church leaders for bootlicking President Robert Mugabe instead of holding him accountable for his government’s gross human rights abuses and corruption.
BY CLAYTON MASEKESA
Chipanga told NewsDay in Mutare yesterday that it was wrong for church leaders to act as political commissars of certain parties.
“It is sad that some churches are stampeding to bootlick Mugabe. But, honestly churches should not support a certain political party. These churches should actually advocate for principles, Christian principles and not individuals or political parties,” the Messiah Apostolic Prophetic Inspired People’s Institute (Mapipi) leader said.
“It is very pathetic to see that our own churches have failed to stand up for the peoples’ rights and justice against evil treatment from the government. If it is like in football where coaches are fired for the team’s poor performance, some church leaders in Zimbabwe would be made to carry the biggest blame from God because they are supporting evil governance and injustices.
These churches pretend to be apolitical yet they vote in their huge numbers to legitimise evil government system,” he said.
Chipanga said the involvement of the Church in national politics should be led by the core values which include being non-partisan, non-violence, constitutionality and God fearing.
A few church leaders, among them Evan Mawarire and Sebastian Bakare, have voiced their concern over government’s use of brute force to cow critics, but Mugabe has threatened to crush them.
