Cleric Bishop Ancelimo Magaya has urged government to initiate national dialogue to find a lasting solution to the problems bedevilling the country.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Addressing a Press conference in Harare on Monday, Magaya said there was need to find the root cause of problems facing the country, while calling on churches “to rise and condemn evil for what it is”.
He said the government should take seriously issues to do with civil servants’ salaries and put an end to house demolitions and illegal parcelling out of stands by land barons.
“We, under the auspices of the National Agreement Platform, therefore, call upon the government to ensure that civil servants get their salaries, not just on time, but what is due to them by the law. We would not want to continually see a situation that is likely to cause unrest as a result of delayed payments and we cannot continue to shift blame,” Magaya said.
He challenged the government to restore the dignity of those in the State security sector, war veterans and pensioners.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
The cleric said all other informal traders should be allowed to operate from their respective sites until they were all allocated places that sustained and enhanced their businesses.
He said the government should declare the drought a national state of disaster.
“They should allow different stakeholders to bring in food whose distribution must not be, politicised as we move towards the 2018 elections. Already, we see what has been happening, the First Lady (Grace Mugabe) going around dishing out food clearly on partisan lines,” the cleric said.
“A national dialogue between government and other stakeholders like churches and the civic society must be convened urgently to mitigate this crisis.”
He urged Zimbabweans to remain peaceful and use constitutional means to find lasting solutions to their problems.
“We have been there before, we came out stronger as a people and it is our strong belief that this this situation, while it requires a new approach, does not require guns. Be they peaceful demonstrations, be they diplomatic engagements, be they confrontational means minus violence, the Lord will certainly protect us and empower us.”