As the nation hurtles towards the crunch elections this coming Wednesday the church in Bulawayo has shunned all forms of political violence through prayers and urging the electorate to vote in peace.
Prayer for peace is the buzz word for churches in the second largest city as churches fear a repeat of bloody 2008 polls where hundreds of Zimbabweans were allegedly injured due to post election violence.
As the custodian of peace and unity in the society, the church in Bulawayo has taken the burden of praying for the elections even though the political environment has been predominantly peaceful.
Harvest House International (HHI) is one such church which has held special prayers for Zimbabwe.
Speaking during a Tuesday prayer vigil, co- founder of the church Apostle Sarah Nyathi, urged congregates to pray for peaceful election.
“Zimbabwe is desperate for restoration. In the year of Jubilee things will be restored,” Nyathi said.
Pastor Anglistone Sibanda said Zimbabwe should rid itself of violence, address the past and let justice be served in a way that will leave the nation at peace.
“Zimbabweans have had a history of violence from the liberation struggle and it is now inherent culture. We need to dismantle that culture by revisiting the past, telling the truth about what happened and have justice where possible,” Sibanda.
Nyathi said her church is in a season of Jubilee where Zimbabwe’s economic fortunes will be restored. She also said that the families which were disintegrated because of the diaspora effect will be restored.
Many Christians were fortunate to get registered in the mobile voter registration as the Christians; Civil Society Forum (CCSF) encouraged them to exercise their right to vote.
Therefore the Christian vote in Bulawayo will be a determining factor in these elections as many believers have been subtly involved in the electoral processes.
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