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Writes Marlvin Ngiza
The Zimbabwe Heads Of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) has recently spearheaded a peace campaign that has seen the church arm and political parties signing the peace pledge ahead of the fast approaching 23 August plebiscite.
Speaking to this publication as an affiliating member, the Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches and Zionists in Africa (UDACIZA) General Secretary, Reverend Innocent Chitanda, stressed that the pledge was a vow by political parties that they were going to promote peace before, during and after the 2023 harmonized elections.
Rev Chitanda also said that as a church, they were going to ensure peace and safety for the citizenry during the period through championing peace campaigns while revealing that as a consortium, they already facilitated training on election observing and participation of women and youths in the election.
“Spearheaded by ZHOCD, the peace pledge was the commitment made by politicians that they were to encourage their members to observe peace before, during, and after elections. All 12 clauses on the peace pledge are important.
“In a country with 85 percent Christians, it is important for church leaders to make sure that its members are safe. There are several verses in which Jesus Christ speaks about the importance of peace, like Mathew 5:9 and John 14:27 among many others. That’s emphasizing the importance of peace in our Churches. As UDACIZA, we are implementing several programs including strengthening the voice of the church in devolution processes. We had observers and we trained youth and women to participate fully in the election,” said Chitanda.
He further called for unity, peace, and tolerance despite different political affiliations.
“As a Christian nation, we need to remain united by the true love of Christ. If we read 1 Corinthians 13:1, it will guide us as a nation to respect the outcome of elections. The winners must win gracefully and the losers gracefully. We need to be the stewards of our God-given country,” he added.
The gospel of peace and unity during the election period continues to be preached by the government, non-governmental organizations, and media, thereby creating and facilitating platforms to speak highly against violence.
Zimbabwe Heads Of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) comprises UDACIZA, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), and Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC).