Vendors in Mbare, high-density suburb of Harare, are making brisk business by selling cloths used in sewing church regalia or performing religious rituals, as more people turn to religion in the midst of increasing socio-economic problems.  The enterprising vendors have taken advantage of the proliferation of Apostolic sects in Mbare ...

This report is reprinted from IN TOUCH WITH CHURCH AND FAITH #171, a Jescom publication. Not everybody in Mbare is poor . Some people have their poverty alleviated by children or grandchildren who work in “Harare North” or in other parts of the globe. There is a man I know, ...

by Ibrahim Mpache and RelZim staff Eid Milad-Un-Nabi marks the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. It may seem strange to non-Muslims, but many Muslims do not believe in celebrating birthdays or death anniversaries because there is no historical evidence that Prophet Muhammad ever did this. Despite this, large numbers of Muslims do commemorate the birth anniversary of ...

BBC recently reported that 11 members of Saltash Methodist Circuit in the UK travelled to Harare to stay with local families and provide support to an orphanage in Mbare. The two groups have built up a strong relationship over recent years. Teams from Mbare have already visited the Cornish town in the ...

This report is reprinted from IN TOUCH WITH CHURCH AND FAITH #166, a Jescom publication. If you ask party members and leaders they are all against violence as a political tactic. In the meantime, political intimidation and terror continue. The mere running around of those well-known agitators in large groups, singing militant songs, is ...

This report is reprinted from IN TOUCH WITH CHURCH AND FAITH #165, a Jescom publication. Some unknown “artists” managed to get into our parish centre and paint their party slogans on the walls. Our people were very annoyed. Within 24 hours these “works of art” were scraped off and painted over. A lively discussion ...

Zanu-PF supporters have been trying  to control Mai Praise in the past several weeks. This woman has transformed the country’s oldest suburb of Mbare with her miracles, but now the prophetess is nowhere to be seen. In a space of two weeks, the vagrant prophetess, as she is called in Harare, had ...

Respected African traditionalist and academic Professor Gordon Chavhunduka has described the current crop of prophets and traditional healers, who have been performing ‘miracles’ with some reaching stardom, as fake and riding on the economic meltdown of the age. In an interview with RelZim.org, Chavhunduka said, “People turn to religion when ...

 This report is reprinted from IN TOUCH WITH CHURCH AND FAITH #163, a Jescom publication. Julia wants to get married to her husband in church, but he is unemployed and cannot pay “roora/lobola”. Her parents are dirt poor and hope for some cattle/’mombe’ or the equivalent in cash. The purpose of ...

I remember him well, he was the city councillor for our ward in Mbare. He had a keen sense of justice and helped our J & P group in settling disputes. During the violent disturbances of 2008 he was badly beaten: his leg was broken and he had a head injury, ...