The ManicaPost
Post Reporter
CHURCHES and civic organisations in Manicaland have denounced demonstrations planned by the opposition MDC-A party saying it was a fruitless avenue of solving the country’s challenges.
The call by the Civic Society and Churches Joint Forum comes as the MDC-A plans to disrupt business countrywide.
Speaking at a press conference in Mutare today, CSCJF Manicaland coordinator Reverend Walter Nyakunu said past experiences have shown that protests were counterproductive.
Rev Nyakunu said the sad reality about demonstrations was that they always degenerate into violence.
“We really cannot solve a problem by creating another problem. We have always called for repositioning of the people’s agenda in this country. It is common cause that we belong to different political parties and that is even constitutional,” he said.
“However, it is not correct to always see each other from a political perspective. Surely, we do not need those political party surnames we have given each other. We are all Zimbabweans and we only have one Zimbabwe to develop.
“It is sad that each time we have demonstrations those that get injured or even killed are the followers. We have tried peaceful demonstrations but they do not end up peaceful. August 1 is an example. It is painful that the leaders of these demonstrations do not even know or bother to look for the addresses of victims after demonstrations.
They do not even attend your funeral. So when we condemn these demonstrations we are fully aware of what we are talking about,” said Rev Nyakunu.
He said circulating social media messages calling for demonstrations do not deserve the attention of progressive Zimbabweans.
“We, the churches and civic organizations in Manicaland having wider and diverse audience which we speak to and represent, ..we are therefore united against the calls for violence in our province,” he said.
