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Zimbabwe prays for peace after poll violence
HARARE, Aug 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Clergymen led prayers for peace as
Zimbabweans went to church for the first Sunday service since this week’s
historic elections, marred by deadly violence and fraud claims.
“Zimbabwe right now needs peace, it needs unity. Zimbabwe is known for
peace, it’s a peace-loving nation,” said worshipper Emmanuel Masvikeni, 46.
“People dying to prop up the politicians… is not justified,” Masvikeni
told AFP in front of the imposing carved stone facade of Harare’s Sacred
Heart Catholic Cathedral.
“I was quite disturbed, taken aback and very worried,” he said of
Wednesday’s unrest.
Religious leaders in the Christian-majority country called for calm after
troops in central Harare opened fire on demonstrators protesting alleged
electoral fraud, killing six.
Inside Sacred Heart, worshippers bathed in the light of the green stained-
glass windows sang songs of praise in the local Shona language while dancing
in the aisles.
In the pews, young men in new Converse sneakers rubbed shoulders with
pensioners in blazers and bright patterned dresses.
“It is the church that encourages unity among us citizens of the country —
despite their affiliations,” said accounting student Clemence Matare, 24.
The sermon, delivered to several hundred tightly-packed worshippers, was on
the theme of peace-making and moving on from the past.
“What I heard today was; let God bring peace, let God bring stability to
the country of Zimbabwe,” said church-goer Patricia Gladys Thompson, a 54-
year-old accountant.
“I’m very much optimistic the leadership will change and Zimbabwe will
change for the better.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been declared winner of Zimbabwe’s first
elections since autocrat Robert Mugabe was ousted by the military last year.
He has insisted the elections were free and fair, vowing to turn a page on
37 years of iron-fisted rule under Mugabe and revive the shattered economy.
The post-election crackdown sparked international condemnation, and
Mnangagwa has pledged an independent investigation.
BSS/AFP/RY/1940 hrs