Useni Sibanda, Zimbabwe Christian Alliance coordinator, provides a personal perspective on what has gone wrong in Zimbabwe.
When Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, it was referred to as the jewel of Africa, 26 years later it has been reduced to rubble. Once the bread basket of the southern Africa region, it has become a basket case.
I am always reminded of the sorry state of my country when crossing into neighbouring Botswana. The green passport of Zimbabwe has become synonymous with begging, crime, destitution and illegal border jumpers.
'Bad governance and political thuggery are the cause of misery for millions'
Barely fifteen years ago, people from Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi, were crossing the border to buy groceries and for education.
However, now the opposite is true as Zimbabweans flock legally and illegally in their thousands in a desperate attempt to get work and eke out a living in neighbouring countries doing menial jobs. I have watched families disintegrating as husbands and wives are separated, migrating to different countries as desperate economic refugees.
Political thuggery
It is obvious to everyone that bad governance and political thuggery is the cause of misery for millions of people. I spent the greater part of last year assisting hundreds of people rendered homeless by a heartless and ruthless government operation code named ‘Operation Clean the Dirty’.
Purporting to be an urban clean up exercise, the operation reduced thousands of people to refugees in their own homeland and destroyed livelihoods for many households. Many of my relatives who are professionals and were in the middle class have been literally reduced to paupers by rampant inflation and economic meltdown.
This depressing and desperate context has challenged Christians, especially leaders in Zimbabwe on how they can live out their faith in this seemingly impossible situation. The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance was birthed out of our convictions as Christian leaders that the church was the last bulwark against the tyrannical rule of Mugabe. As the Church emerged as the only source of hope for a nation languishing in an abyss of despair, the government has unleashed its venom in an attempt to divide and destroy the prophetic role of the church.
I have been followed, interrogated and some of my colleagues like the convener of Christian Alliance have been detained. Most of our telephone lines are bugged and emails intercepted. The government is even in the process of introducing repressive legislation to officially sanction this behaviour.
My work within the Christian Alliance has seen us convene a conference that united all progressive pro democracy and justice forces to forge a concerted way forward. The nation has seen this effort, dubbed 'SAVE ZIMBABWE CAMPAIGN' as the last beacon of hope if civil war is to be averted.
An outreach programme to churches intended to raise awareness of the role of the church in social transformation is part our gospel of hope. As I put the finishing touches to booklets that we will be using for training churchgoers, I am also convinced that the Church can contribute to the salvation of our nation.
We always sing God Save Zimbabwe and I am sure he will do just that!