Deafening Silence

John Redfern, Hon. National Secretary of the Flame Lily Foundation, writes: "Much has been said and written recently regarding the release from a Scottish prison of ailing convicted terrorist Abdelbaset al Megrahi. Pan Am flight 103 exploded in the sky above Lockerbie, Scotland shortly after taking off from Heathrow airport on 21 December 1988, killing all 259 passengers and crew and 11 innocent people on the ground.

World leaders were silent when, ten years earlier on 3 September 1978, an unarmed Air Rhodesia civilian airliner, Viscount VP-WAS (named Hunyani), in flight from Kariba to Salisbury was shot down by a gang of ZIPRA terrorists using a Russian SAM 7 missile. Of the 56 men, women and children on board, 38 perished in the crash landing. 10 survivors, including wounded woman and children, were then murdered on the ground by another gang of ZIPRA terrorists. This event must stand as one of the most terrible acts of terrorism in modern times, along with the Lockerbie disaster and the events of 9/11 2001 in New York.

A detailed report on the downing of the Hunyani can be found on the Internet at http://www.rhodesia.nl/viscount.htm. An extract - the sermon delivered at the memorial service for those who lost their lives - is reproduced below as a reminder of the dreadful event that took place on this day 31 years ago."

The Silence is Deafening
Sermon by Very Rev. John da Costa, Anglican Dean of Salisbury


Clergyment, I am frequently told, should keep out of politics. I thoroughly agree. For this reason, I will not allow politics to be preached in this cathedral. Clergy have to be reconcilers. That is no easy job. A minister of religion who has well-known political views, and allows them to come to the fore, cannot reconcile, but will alienate others, and fail in the chief part of his ministry.
For this reason, I personally am surprised at there being two clergymen in the Executive Council. It is my sincere prayer that they can act as Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation.

My own ministry began in Ghana, where Kwame Nkrumah preached: "Seek ye first the political kingdom and all these things will be added to you." We know what became of Kwame Nkrumah. We are not to preach a political kingdom, but the kingdom of God.

Clergy are usually in the middle, shot at from both sides. It is not an enviable role. Yet times come when it is necessary to speak out, and in direct and forthright terms, like trumpets with unmistakable notes. I believe that this is one such time.

Nobody who holds sacred the dignity of human life can be anything but sickened at the events attending the crash of the Viscount Hunyani. Survivors have the greatest call on the sympathy and assistance of every other human being. The horror of the crash was bad enough, but that this should have been compounded by murder of the most savage and treacherous sort leaves us stunned with disbelief and brings revulsion in the minds of anyone deserving the name "human."

This bestiality, worse than anything in recent history, stinks in the nostrils of Heaven. But are we deafened with the voice of protest from nations which call themselves "civilised"? We are not. Like men in the story of the Good Samaritan, they "pass by, on the other side."

One listens for loud condemnation by Dr. David Owen, himself a medical doctor, trained to extend mercy and help to all in need.

One listens and the silence is deafening.

One listens for loud condemnation by the President of the United States, himself a man from the Bible-Baptist belt, and again the silence is deafening.

One listens for loud condemnation by the Pope, by the Chief Rabbi, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, by all who love the name of God.

Again the silence is deafening.

I do not believe in white supremacy. I do not believe in black supremacy either. I do not believe that anyone is better than another, until he has proved himself to be so. I believe that those who govern or who seek to govern must prove themselves worthy of the trust that will be placed in them.

One looks for real leadership. One finds little in the Western world: how much less in Africa?

Who is to be blamed for this ghastly episode?

Like Pontius Pilate, the world may ask "What is truth?" What is to be believed? That depends on what your prejudices will allow you to believe, for then no evidence will convince you otherwise.

So who is to be blamed?

First, those who fired the guns. Who were they? Youths and men who, as likely as not, were until recently in church schools. This is the first terrible fact. Men who went over to the other side in a few months were so indoctrinated that all they had previously learned was obliterated. How could this happen if they had been given a truly Christian education?

Second, it is common knowledge that in large parts of the world violence is paraded on TV and cinema screens as entertainment. Films about war, murder, violence, rape, devil-possession and the like are "good box-office". Peak viewing time is set aside for murderers from Belfast, Palestine, Europe, Africa and the rest, to speak before an audience of tens of millions. Thugs are given full treatment, as if deserving of respect.

Not so the victims' relations.

Who else is to be blamed?

The United Nations and their church equivalent, the WCC. I am sure they both bear blame in this. Each parade a pseudo-morality which, like all half-truths, is more dangerous than the lie direct. From the safety and comfort of New York and Geneva, high moral attitudes can safely be struck. For us in the sweat, the blood, the suffering, it is somewhat different.

Who else? The churches? Oh yes, I fear so.

For too long, too many people have been allowed to call themselves "believers" when they have been nothing of the kind. Those who believe must act. If you believe the car is going to crash, you attempt to get out. If you believe the house is on fire, you try to get help and move things quickly. If you believe a child has drunk poison, you rush him to the doctor. Belief must bring about action.

Yet churches, even in our own dangerous times, are more than half-empty all the time. We are surrounded by heathens who equate belief in God with the Western way of life. In many war areas, Africans are told to "burn their Bibles". If this call was made to us, what sort of Bibles would be handed in? Would they be dog-eared from constant use; well-thumbed and marked? Would they be pristine in their virgin loveliness, in the same box in which they were first received?

There are tens of millions of all races who call themselves believers, who never enter any house of prayer and praise. Many are folk who scream loudest against communism, yet do not themselves help to defeat these Satanic forces by means of prayer, and praise and religious witness.

For, make no mistake, if our witness were as it ought to be, men would flock to join our ranks. As it is, we are by-passed by the world, as if irrelevant.

Is anyone else to be blamed for this ghastly episode near Kariba? I think so.

Politicians throughout the world have made opportunist speeches from time to time. These add to the heap of blameworthiness, for a speech can cause wounds which may take years to heal.

The ghastliness of this ill-fated flight from Kariba will be burned upon our memories for years to come. For others, far from our borders, it is an intellectual matter, not one which affects them deeply. Here is the tragedy!

The especial danger of Marxism is its teaching that human life is cheap, expendable, of less importance than the well-being of the State. But there are men who call themselves Christians who have the same contempt for other human beings, and who treat them as being expendable.

Had we, who claim to love God, shown more real love and understanding, more patience, more trust of others, the churches would not be vilified as they are today. I have nothing but sympathy with those who are here today and whose grief we share. I have nothing but revulsion for the less-than-human act of murder which has so horrified us all.

I have nothing but amazement at the silence of so many of the political leaders of the world. I have nothing but sadness that our churches have failed so badly to practise what we preach. May God forgive us all, and may he bring all those who died so suddenly and unprepared into the light of His glorious presence.

Amen

Mugabe's achievements

Yes - Mugabe has made it big-time with great achievements, as follows:
- world record for the highest rate of inflation ever, at 41,900,000,000,000,000,000%
- expertise in the fields of Economic Ineptness and Arrogant Stupidity - in his own words: "no one could have done it better" (apart from maybe Idi Amin)
- single-minded diligence in the torture, murder & beatings of unarmed taxpayers
- excellence in the following fields of political under-achievement:
*world's lowers life expectancy of just 35 years
*world's highest unemployment rate at 95%
*world's highest displaced population outside of a war-zone
Valued contributions to his work have been made by his fans and coaches, namely: Thabo Mbeki, Gidoen Gono, Constantin Chiwenga, Augustine Chihuri, Emerson Mnangagwa, Patrick Chinamasa.
It is probably more economical to use this piece of paper than a piece of toilet paper when you visit the loo.

Zimbabwe Postal Service

Zimbabwe postal service has introduced a new stamp with a picture of Robert Mugabe in honor of his achievements. In daily use it has been shown that the stamp is not sticking to envelopes.
This has enraged the President who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing a special presidential commission has come out with the following findings:
1. The stamp is in perfect order.
2. There is nothing wrong with the applied adhesive.
3. People are just spitting on the wrong side

Just Sit Down

Newsletter from Cathy Buckle, Zimbabwe
Saturday 5th July 2008

Dear Family and Friends,
It is now clear that the will of the Zimbabwean people as expressed in the March 29th elections has been ignored and, as a result we find ourselves in the deepest crisis. Hundreds of people: men, women and children have started arriving at foreign embassies in Harare, begging for temporary refuge and humanitarian assistance. First it was the South African embassy, then the American embassy: crowds of people who are cold, tired, homeless, hungry and frightened and who have nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. They don't shout, scream, protest and demand, instead they simply sit down on the roadside and wait patiently for someone to help them.

Such is the tragic image of our broken, desperate people that even for those of us living here, the ruination of ordinary lives and the suffering that people are enduring is utterly heartbreaking. Everyday holds tears and trauma and the most common phrase in our lives is: "We are in God's hands."

The MDC say that a quarter of a million people have been displaced from their homes since the end of March. It is undoubtable that thousands more have by now fled for our borders and crossed over into Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa - legally and illegally. They have done this to stay alive and unless something happens to change the situation urgently, hundreds of thousands of others will have no choice but to follow the exodus to our borders.

This morning, as I write this letter, hundreds upon hundreds of people are crowded outside banks across the country desperately trying to withdraw their own money. This is because most shops no longer accept cheques and the Governor of the Reserve Bank has limited daily withdrawals per person to one hundred billion dollars. With one hundred billion dollars you can, today only, buy just three single blood pressure tablets. Or, today only, you can buy one copy of a local weekly newspaper and and two small green onions. In my home town, even if you had the money, there is almost no food left to buy. In the week since Mr Mugabe was again sworn in as President, our supermarkets have become emptier than ever. There are no dry staple goods at all, no milk or eggs and no wheat or flour. In my home town the main bakery is closed and we've had no bread for over a fortnight.

This is why hundreds and thousands of people now have no choice but to leave the country. It is truly a most desperate situation and people from all walks of life are in dire need of help - primarily for food and life preserving medicines but also for shelter and protection. We hear the words from abroad and from the AU, the UN and some of our neighbours but we don't need words, we need help and we need it now, literally to save lives.
Until next week, thank you for reading, with love, cathy

The Illusion of Wealth

The last I heard, a loaf of bread - if you can find one that is! - cost Z$400 000. It has probably doubled by now.

Petrol bombed

From Colleen Henderson. 9 June 2008.

THESE ARE DREADFUL SICKENING PICTURES of what Mugabe & his thugs are doing in the "free & fair" campaign to hang on to power in the forthcoming run-off. They show the brutality that continues on a massive scale all over Zimbabwe everyday.

Kudakwashe and David were burned almost beyond recognition in Zaka (Masvingo province), this week, by an Army hit squad. They were in their MDC office when the Army petrol bombed it. Perhaps this, and the attack on diplomats, will galvanise someone, somewhere into action.

The threats to close down embassies and NGO's further emphasises the GENOCIDAL situation our beloved country is in. Zanu PF and the Army Generals will stop at nothing to keep this corrupt government in power.

Mai

Persecution of the Church - Zimbabwe

Before we left Zimbabwe in 1980, there was much talk amongst Christians about the persecuted church behind the Iron Curtain and in China. Richard Wurmbrand's books, and his experiences of persecution and imprisonment, were still being widely read. The book 'You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists)' by Dr. Fred Schwarz was being widely circulated, as well as another which I cannot find on my bookshelf today, yet know that we have it, titled 'The Underground Church' which gave helpful directions on how to establish an underground church. What we see happening to the Church in Zimbabwe today is directly in line with Dr. Fred Schwarz writing. Even though the Berlin Wall was razed to the ground in the 1989, and the end of the Cold War between non-communists and communists ended with the 'Iron Curtain' also being 'downed' - that did not end communism. It has been alive and well in and continuing it's influence. It is common knowledge that Joshua Nkomo (of the ZAPU party) was backed by the Russian communists while Robert Mugabe has been backed by the Chinese Communists. The eradication of Nkomo's support base in Matabeleland by the North Korean army in the 1980's was Mugabe's first step in removing opposition. Now it is his plan to eradicate all other opposition to his power that has arisen over the past 30 years. Not only are the MDC under attack from his forces, but also any other body that is not directly under the control of his party and its heirarchy. Hence the persecution of the church. The following is a report of what is being experienced by the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe's Rulers Unleash Police on Anglicans

By CELIA W. DUGGER

Published: May 16, 2008

JOHANNESBURG — The parishioners were lined up for Holy Communion on Sunday when the riot police stormed the stately St. Francis Anglican Church in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital. Helmeted, black-booted officers banged on the pews with their batons as terrified members of the congregation stampeded for the doors, witnesses said.

A policeman swung his stick in vicious arcs, striking matrons, a girl and a grandmother who had bent over to pick up a Bible dropped in the melee. A lone housewife began singing from a hymn in Shona, "We will keep worshiping no matter the trials!" Hundreds of women, many dressed in the Anglican Mothers' Union uniform of black skirt, white shirt and blue headdress, lifted their voices to join hers.

Beneath their defiance, though, lay raw fear as the country's ruling party stepped up its campaign of intimidation ahead of a presidential runoff. In a conflict that has penetrated ever deeper into Zimbabwe's social fabric, the party has focused on a growing roster of groups that elude its direct control — a list that includes the Anglican diocese of Harare, as well as charitable and civic organizations, trade unions, teachers, independent election monitors and the political opposition.

Anglican leaders and parishioners said in interviews that the church was not concerned with politics and that it counted people from both the ruling party and the opposition in its congregations. Yet the ruling party appears to have decided that only Anglicans who follow Nolbert Kunonga — a renegade bishop in Harare who is a staunch ally of President Robert Mugabe — are allowed to hold services.

Over the past three Sundays, the police have interrogated Anglican priests and lay leaders, arrested and beaten parishioners and locked thousands of worshipers out of dozens of churches.

"As a theologian who has read a lot about the persecution of the early Christians, I'm really feeling connected to that history," said Bishop Sebastian Bakare, 66, who came out of retirement to replace Mr. Kunonga. "We are being persecuted."

Church leaders say the struggle in the Anglican diocese of Harare is not only over its extensive, valuable properties, but also over who controls the church itself in a society riven by political divisions, especially since the disputed elections of March 29.

Mr. Kunonga, who broke with the church hierarchy late last year and recently called Mr. Mugabe "a prophet of God," is known in Zimbabwe as an avid supporter of the ruling party and a proponent of its seizures of white-owned commercial farms, often accomplished violently. In fact, he appears to have benefited richly from the policy himself.

While such strong allegiances have clearly played a role in the attacks on parishioners, Anglicans beyond Zimbabwe have also taken steps likely to have enraged Mr. Mugabe and the ruling party, known as ZANU-PF.

The worldwide Anglican Communion issued a statement in January expressing "deep concern" about Mr. Kunonga's close ties to Mr. Mugabe. Then on April 21, amid the postelection intimidation of opposition supporters, the communion called on all Christians to pray for Zimbabwe's rescue "from violence, the concealing and juggling of election results, deceit, oppression and corruption."

And three weeks ago, an Anglican bishop in South Africa persuaded a judge there to halt the delivery of Chinese-made ammunition to Zimbabwe's military — bullets the bishop warned could be used to repress Zimbabweans.

This is not the first time that a church has felt the ruling party's fury. Last year, state-controlled television showed photos of one of Mr. Mugabe's most ferocious critics, Archbishop Pius Ncube, a Roman Catholic, in bed with a married woman, effectively neutralizing him as the leader of the clerical opposition to Mr. Mugabe's rule. This month, the state-run newspaper, The Herald, reported that the woman had died "lonely and miserable after being abandoned by Ncube."

Now Bishop Bakare's followers, who include most of the city's Anglicans, say that Mr. Kunonga has falsely told the government that they are politically aligned with the opposition — an accusation the ruling party seems to be taking seriously.

Despite a High Court order requiring that Anglican churches be shared among the worshipers, church officials say that only people who attend services led by priests allied with Mr. Kunonga have been allowed to pray in peace.

This week, the Supreme Court dismissed Mr. Kunonga's appeal of the sharing order, but church leaders say they are far from sure that the law will be enforced.

A widowed mother of five who sings with the choir at St. Francis Church in Waterfalls — and who was too frightened to be quoted by name — asked despairingly this week where she could seek solace now that her church was no longer sacrosanct.

"I go to church to talk to the Lord and feel better," the woman said. "Now, I don't know where to go."

Neither Mr. Kunonga nor his spokesman, the Rev. Morris Brown Gwedegwe, has returned repeated calls seeking comment.

When Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka, a police spokesman, was asked about police assaults on Anglican parishioners, he said he was unaware of such episodes and asked for the names of those complaining. "Give me names, because without those I will not comment," he said. "Thank you and bye." Then he hung up.

At the heart of the conflict with Mr. Kunonga is more than property and power, but also some of the church's core values. Mr. Kunonga told Anglican officials last year that he was withdrawing from the mother church because of its sympathy toward homosexuals, they said. By October, the Anglican Province of Central Africa said Mr. Kunonga had "severed" his relationship with the church.

Bishop Bakare said Mr. Kunonga had preached hatred of gays and lesbians, contrary to the Harare diocese's stand. "We believe in a church that is inclusive, a church that accepts all people," Bishop Bakare said.

But even a spokesman for an alliance of conservative bishops who oppose "the ordination of practicing homosexuals as priests," distanced them from Mr. Kunonga. Arne H. Fjeldstad, head of communications for the alliance, the Global Anglican Future Conference, said in an e-mail message that Mr. Kunonga was not part of the conference, but "rather that he's one of Mugabe's henchmen."

Mr. Kunonga appears to have gained much from that loyalty. In 2003, the government gave Mr. Kunonga a 1,630-acre farm outside Harare and a seven-bedroom house that sits on it, according to Marcus Hale, who said the farm, bought by his family in 1990 for $2 million, was confiscated without payment.

Mr. Kunonga's influence has been felt in church after church in recent weeks as well. Anglican parishioners said they found themselves shut out or driven out by police officers who claimed to be acting on orders from their superiors to allow only Mr. Kunonga's priests to preside.

At St. Paul's Church in the Highfield suburb of Harare, the congregation refused to budge and kept singing "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" when a dozen policemen entered the church on May 4. But the commander radioed for backup, and soon more than 50 riot police officers arrived, the church's wardens said.

Hundreds of parishioners were then drummed out of the church to the deafening beat of baton sticks banging on pews. People began taking out their cellphones to photograph the policemen who had forced them out.

The officers then charged into the scattering crowd, batons swinging. "Even myself, they hit my hand," said a stunned seamstress. "They said, 'Go back to your homes. You are not supposed to be here.' "

A journalist in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed reporting.

ENDS

Response to a Different Perspective on Zimbabwe

RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE FROM HENRY D. JACKSON: April 2008
It should be a positive thing to have someone saying we must turn to God, provided that his views are balanced and realistic. We must remember that this person has been living in the controlled environment of Mugabe's censorship for a long time. I do not want to quench his faith, as this is all that most people in Zimbabwe have left. Nevertheless, there are some weak points in his thinking that should be corrected; otherwise he might give people incorrect thinking patterns and unrealistic expectations.

I have taken a few extracts from this sermon, and wish to make a few comments:
1) Quote:
"the west, coming in and pouring billions of dollars into the country, will shatter the spiritual platform which has been built here."
This is simply not true. It assumes that all aid from other countries is evil. It assumes that money is evil. However, it is how we use money that is the point, not money itself. There are many organizations that are involved in Zimbabwe and will be involved in reconstruction that are Christian-based and managed by genuine caring people.
The implications of Mr Jackson’s statement are that:
a) Zimbabwe does not need aid and reconstruction, but can do it alone, with its "phenomenal potential", most of who have left the country;
b) Aid from somewhere else (Chinese aid?) is more desirable than that from "the west" (And I am not sure what is meant by "the West").

2) Quote:
“The West”.
This term and the way in which it is used is reminiscent of Mugabe’s propaganda. It is not clear what is meant by the term. Presumably he means primarily the USA. Possibly he means all other countries, except the similar communist countries and dictatorships such as Russia, Cuba, North Korea, etc.

3) Quote:
"If a vote was to be taken in the nation, the Pharisees would have lost hands down. Democracy would have crowned Jesus as king. That is what the majority of the people wanted. But was that God's will? The whole of the salvation plan would have been destroyed by democracy. Thus God allowed a devilishly rigged court case to work His own purposes."
Democracy did not exist in the Roman era. The crowds were quite possibly the Pharisees "Rent-a-Crowd'. I also question the validity of extrapolating from the exceptional circumstances of the time of Jesus's crucifixion, and assuming that the circumstances in Zimbabwe are similar. Democracy has many flaws. Mugabe has always claimed to rule by democracy, but it never has been even a reasonable approximation in Zimbabwe. I am not sure if it was Churchill who commented correctly about democracy, but I remember the statement went something like: "Democracy is an inefficient form of government, but the alternatives are far worse."

Mr Jackson has defined no alternative of a system of government to offer, except to refer vaguely to "God's farming" and "God's mining". (Whatever those terms may mean). I do not know what is intended here, but sometimes these terms are used by people with good intentions but little experience of farming or little knowledge of science. I am aware of some organizations that advocate farming systems which do not use modern techniques, such as fertilizer or insecticides. I perceive this as a kind of reaction to technology, and the implication is that we must stick with the old-fashioned systems. It might be considered to be in the same category of the Luddites, who destroyed mechanical looms when they were invented; or about the suspicion given to the invention of the umbrella when it first appeared; or the dark prophecies attached to instant coffee when it was first marketed?

4) Quote:
"This is a very special nation, like a jewel in God's eyes, shining brightly in the spiritual realm. I see in the spirit the angelic beings flying around the earth, patrolling it, and then as they come close to Zimbabwe, they see a bright light shining from here."
I do not see Zimbabwe as a jewel, but as a disaster area. Spiritually, too many of the people, especially those in power, have rejected God and followed either the ways of their ancestors or foreign philosophies such as Marxism. The leadership of some of the established Churches has been discredited. There are of course some very fine Christians in the country, but their influence is very limited. Perhaps it might be more realistic to liken the situation in Zimbabwe to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelation Chapter 6).
They were conquered (White Horse); they made war and continued to worship violence (Red Horse); they are now suffering starvation, which has nothing to do with droughts (Black Horse); they are also entering the era of Pestilence and Death (Pale Horse); the believers will be persecuted for their faith.
But then again, it might be an invalid comparison to trace similarities between the End Times before the Day of Judgment, with the situation in Zimbabwe today?
Nevertheless, the effects of sin (rebellion against God and disobedience) have logical consequences...and a similar pattern of events can easily follow: rebellion, leading to war, leading to starvation, leading to death.
This pattern was shown under Stalin after the communist Russian revolution. It was also shown under Mao Zedong after the communist revolution in China. I think that Napoleon was part of a similar trend.

5) Quote:
"God has a plan for this nation, and means to fulfil it. There is no way that He is going to allow democracy and the evil influence of western materialism to destroy His plan, as good as those intentions might be."
Note that Mr Jackson states that "democracy and the evil influence of western materialism" will destroy God's plan. This is unlikely to be true. The comments under Item 3) apply here also. The assumption has been made by him that all things from the west are evil. This might be true for some of the agencies in "the west", but the main characteristic of "the west" is a great diversity of opinions and ideas, not the monolithic monster that has been created in the minds of the people by Mugabe's propaganda.

Mr Jackson does not tell us what God's plan is. I do not believe that God's plan for Zimbabwe has been the rule of Robert Mugabe. Rather I put the situation in Zimbabwe into the category of circumstances that applied as a result of the request by the people of Israel for a King like those of the other nations. God did not want that form of government for them, but they insisted on it. Then God let them suffer the consequences of their bad decisions. The people of Zimbabwe have made bad decisions. The consequences have been horrendous. God does not want them to suffer beatings, torture, starvation and death. If change does not come through democracy (however flawed), then it is likely to come through war, which will only bring more destruction.

6) Quote:
"Is God's kingdom for Zimbabwe to be the pouring in of material benefits from the west? I think not. The connection to the high powered western nations has been the one thing that has really concerned me about Morgan Tsvangerai, if I must look honestly from a spiritual point of view. The west would be in here like a shot if we were to let them. The potential of this nation is phenomenal, and they know it. But when they come in they will come in with their worldly standards, and very quickly all the spiritual buildup that we have seen over the past years will be destroyed. Mammon will be our god, and God's purposes will be frustrated."
The comments from Item 5) apply here also. See also the comments about God’s Kingdom’ below.
Who must Morgan Tsvangerai go to for help? Zimbabwe cannot carry out a reconstruction on her own. If "the west" does not help, who will? The Chinese?

7) God's Kingdom:
This is often perceived to be a complex concept as we read about it in the Bible; and it has been interpreted in many ways, and even used in the wrong way by some politicians. Essentially, the Kingdom of God exists wherever God is King. This can only happen where people have given their lives to God through Jesus Christ. It is not a political concept. But it is true that the changed lives of believers can lead to significant changes in society.

8) Poverty and anti-materialism:
Poverty is not something desired by God, and there is no merit in starvation, poverty, disease or destruction of people's lives. But I also do not agree with what has been termed "the doctrine of prosperity" which implies that if we are in God's will, we will all be prosperous. The correct attitude to the material aspects of our lives should be an attitude of stewardship. We are looking after the resources God has given us, to use them in the best way to help others. If materialism turns us away from God, it is the attitude that is wrong; not the things themselves.

9) Spiritual opportunity and responsibility:
This is indeed a time of spiritual opportunity. Therefore Christians must be seen to be involved in trying to put things right in Zimbabwe. They must speak out to ensure that the new Zimbabwe will be constructed according to Christian principles as far as possible.
Mugabe would like to provoke war, because violence has served him so well throughout his life.
He should not be given that opportunity.

Regards,
Ned.

A Different Perspective on Zimbabwe

A prophetic word of encouragement to Zimbabweans

Dear friends,

I have not written for a while, but felt compelled to write again to encourage the many Zimbabweans who are feeling quite shattered and insecure at the moment. I am still here in Gweru, Zimbabwe, and have no intention of leaving. My faith for God’s working in our lovely country is greater than ever before.

Let me share with you some of what I believe God has revealed to me. Firstly, I had felt very strongly, as before the previous election, that the results of this election would not be satisfactory to the west. That is because God has an agenda for Zimbabwe, and the west, coming in and pouring billions of dollars into the country, will shatter the spiritual platform which has been built here.

I was reading from Luke 24 about the two disciples walking to Emmaus. Jesus interrupts their journey and asks them what they are discussing. The Scripture says they, “Stopped, and looked very sad.” That is the position of many Zimbabweans today. They have stopped! There is a stillness in our nation – people seem to hang in the air, with a total disbelief on their faces. They can’t believe what has happened, and don’t know what to do.

The disciples then explain to Jesus (not recognizing Him) about the recent happenings, the terrible trial and final crucifixion of Jesus. Then they say, “And we were hoping that it was Him who would restore our nation and deliver us from the hand of the enemies”. That was it! They had such high hopes, but now their hopes were dashed to the ground.

Just a week previously the entire city was abuzz with excitement. Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and the crowds went crazy! They were throwing palm branches and clothes on the ground for their “would be King” to ride upon. This was the time! Surely!! At last the Roman occupation would be destroyed. The wicked Pharisees dominance would be destroyed, and a righteous King would reign. What a wonderful prospect! What excitement!

But:

The trial was rigged. And to crown it all, Jesus did not open his mouth to defend his position. Joseph of Aramathea and Nicodemus, being believers themselves, and part of the Sanherdan made strong representations to prevent Jesus death. They did not approve of the Sanhedran’s course of action. Yet, when it came to the final crunch, where Jesus should have stood up for the truth, where He could so easily have outwitted the wicked counsel and even Pilate himself, the Scripture says that “like a lamb that is dumb before its shearers so he did not open his mouth.” Can you believe it. He did not defend Himself, while knowing full well that the entire court case was rigged, and the plot was designed for His destruction.

So you understand then why these two disciples were “sad”. Actually they were SHATTERED!!! If a vote was to be taken in the nation, the Pharisees would have lost hands down. Democracy would have crowned Jesus as king. That is what the majority of the people wanted. But was that God’s will? The whole of the salvation plan would have been destroyed by democracy. Thus God allowed a devilishly rigged court case to work His own purposes.

So my dear fellow Zimbabweans, I believe that we have something very similar here. As evil as the rigged election results might have been, I see the finger of God in this. Let me explain:

Since the bush war times many thousands of people have been praying fervently for this nation. That means we have had some forty years of constant fervent prayer. I think the bowls in heaven must be brimful of the prayers of the saints. This is a very special nation – like a jewel in God’s eyes – shining brightly in the spiritual realm. I see in the spirit the angelic beings flying around the earth, patrolling it, and then as they come close to Zimbabwe, they see a bright light shining from here. The spiritual attention focused upon this nation is phenomenal. Don’t think for one moment that God has forgotten those prayers. God has a plan for this nation, and means to fulfil it. There is no way that He is going to allow democracy and the evil influence of western materialism to destroy His plan – as good as those intentions might be.

Jesus proceeded to open the eyes of those two disciples to recognize Him, and then for forty days He gave His disciples concentrated teaching on His Kingdom (Acts 1). God’s kingdom has very different values to the world’s kingdom – even well meaning Christians don’t always understand His kingdom. What was His kingdom? For Peter it meant a revelation that the other nations must also be included. “What God has made clean you must not dispise” (Acts 10). For Paul, who was a young Pharisee, zealous for the cause of what he thought was God’s kingdom - but was actually racial prejudice and pride - he had to hear God’s calling to preach the gospel to the kings and nations outside of his Judaic upbringing. That change of direction caused the Pharisees to persecute him vehemently.

Is God’s kingdom for Zimbabwe to be the pouring in of material benefits from the west? I think not. The connection to the high powered western nations has been the one thing that has really concerned me about Morgan Tsvangerai – if I must look honestly from a spiritual point of view. The west would be in here like a shot if we were to let them. The potential of this nation is phenomenal, and they know it. But when they come in they will come in with their worldly standards, and very quickly all the spiritual buildup that we have seen over the past years will be destroyed. Mammon will be our god, and God’s purposes will be frustrated.

No, I believe God has a different purpose. His kingdom must be built, and this nation should be a springboard to take the gospel to the rest of Africa, and indeed the world.

So what should we do?

I believe that God’s children are being given a window of opportunity like never before. God is giving this nation to us for an inheritance. We must take it. Now is the time! Organizations like “Farming God’s Way” are out there teaching people how to farm to produce quality crops. At the same time they are spreading the gospel at grass roots level. “Mining God’s Way” is another avenue God is opening – and even now the man to whom God revealed that truth has been asked to establish mining legislature in Afghanistan of all places, based on these principles. But that came out of Zimbabwe!

God has been tasking me to get involved with the municipality, setting up a technopark, and working with the city’s planning department in planning residential housing, water and sewer systems and many other things. I believe we are to get involved as servants, bringing meaningful change to our cities and our country – for the sake of reaching people in every strata of society. We are to move in quietly and humbly, but like a river of life bring life-giving water wherever we go. We are to love the unlovable, reach the brokenhearted, bring healing to the sick, minister to the poor, build houses for the homeless, teach the simple, make straight ways in the desert, and thus build up a highway for God to move upon our land.

The Scripture says about many of the Jews, “They did not recognize the time of the visitation of God”. What about us today. Can we recognize that God is visiting us in a most unusual way, and just like Judea of old, even right under the nose of an evil Roman occupation, He is giving us the nation as our inheritance!?

May I encourage you to open your eyes to the incredible opportunities God is giving, and to go all out for Him. Of-course, I don’t mean to minimize the suffering that many have experienced. I honour you for what you have stood for and the price you have paid. But I should note that suffering is not a new thing in the world of God’s kingdom. No work of God has ever been established without personal cost. I have also suffered – not nearly as much as some of you. But those things are of little consequence when compared to the glories of the kingdom to follow. Be encouraged

For those Christians outside Zimbabwe who say, “What can we do?” Find some trustworthy Christian organization in Zimbabwe and support them by supplying fuel, medical supplies and food. For the experts, doctors, engineers, teachers, etc, we need you here. Ex Zimbabweans especially – find outside support if you can, and come back, and throw your back into building the kingdom of God here. For outsiders who really want to help, how about supporting the salary of a few teachers for example. They earn a pittance here – in our area teachers would be earning between R100 to R200 per month. Instead of employing the teachers in foreign countries, why not help them to remain here in their profession, by making their burden more bearable.

For those inside the country. Open your eyes to the needs around you, and extend a hand to help. As you reach out to help those in need around you, I believe God will be very faithful, as always, to help you in your own need.

Folks, stop looking so sad. We have in our hands something bigger than we could ever have dreamed of. Lets take it with both hands!!!!

With love to you all

Henry D Jackson

Zim Election information

Please visit the FLF (Flame Lily Foundation) website News and Views for information and opinion on the Zimbabwe election.

FLF is an organisation with four main objectives:
- To promote, further and secure the interests of former residents of Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe
- To provide or facilitate residential accommodation for persons over the age of 60, in particular for those former residents of Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe who have settled in the RSA
- To give help in particular to the aged and the disabled
- To preserve the history and heritage of Rhodesia

Typical Communist Propaganda

This editorial was published today (8 April 2008) in the ruling party (ZANU-PF) newspaper, The Herald, in Harare, Zimbabwe. Enjoy the read! It is gratifying to know that Mugabe and his associates will die and be eaten by worms and return to the dust from which they are made - just like we all will. Everyday is a day closer to his funeral.

Run-Off - Relaunching Revolution

The Herald (Harare)

OPINION
8 April 2008
Posted to the web 8 April 2008

By Reason Wafawarova
Harare

The just-ended harmonised poll presented very important lessons for the agrarian revolution and the envisaged presidential run-off offers the revolutionary masses of Zimbabwe a perfect opportunity to rise as one coalescent force to demolish all imperial aspirations as measured by the bizarre immature celebrations by the treacherous and insidious opposition MDC, along with their unthinking masters in the Western capitals.

The ruling Zanu-PF, yes ruling, is a long-established political organisation that has gone through testing times before and the just-ended election obviously presented one of the biggest challenge ever to affect the revolutionary party since it was formed in 1963.

Lesson number one was that if the leadership in the revolution fails to shake off the dead leaves hanging on the revolutionary tree, then the winds of the masses would always do the shaking. Some of the candidates that were reportedly imposed had for a long time been viewed as some of the most useless politicians our nation has ever known while some of them have for a long time been notorious for abuse of office and negligence of duty in their constituencies.

It was naturally the duty of the Zanu-PF Commissariat Department to ensure that the people are not presented with dead leaves for a choice in the election. How was it expected that these people who could not sell themselves to their own constituencies would be able to do a good job selling the President?

The National Commissar, Cde Elliot Manyika, was dead right when he said there is nothing like neutrality in politics. This was after he was asked about the role of his department in determining the ruling party's candidates. Indeed, there is nothing like neutrality in politics just like there should be nothing worse than bias towards politically useless people who have lost credibility with the grassroots.

Anyway, the battle was fought and the revolution was shaken and it is now time to relaunch it. It is time for all revolutionaries to be reminded that the people own the revolutionary process; and after Morgan Tsvangirai is silenced in the run-off, there is need for everyone to look after the revolutionary tree with diligence, respect and commitment as guided by the aspirations of those whose lives were sacrificed for Zimbabwe to be where it is today.

The second lesson that was brought by this election is that a chunk of the electorate has been coerced by sanction-induced economic hardships into accepting that the agent of the evil master who has brought this suffering can be the liberator as well. Tsvangirai went across the country asking people: "Are you hungry? Are you angry? Then remove this government."

The two questions and the suggested answer were not only an attempt at inciting people into a protest mood, but also a message meant to dupe the masses that they were under a government that was deliberately and intentionally inflicting economic hardships on them - just because "Government officials are sadists who derive joy in seeing people starve".

It is a simple American tradition introduced by one of the US' founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. He called it "political gravitation" and all that is needed is that you isolate a country by mobilising others to shun it and making sure that its economy is strangulated until the poorest and the lowest persons in that country feel the effect.

Richard Nixon called this economic warfare the "screaming of the economy" and a point is always reached when some people find the pain inflicted by the economic warfare so unbearable that they begin to look up to the oppressor as the liberator.

This is what Tsvangirai sought to achieve by going around extorting votes by dangling the promise of a US$10 billion package -- something that obviously contributed immensely to the delusions that created the false victory that Tendai Biti seemed to take quite seriously. If the people of Zimbabwe are not free, then their bondage has been orchestrated from London through the lap-dog support and collaboration of the MDC and it is always important for one in bondage to remember always who the oppressor is.

Many times the children of Israel mistook Moses and even God for their oppressor and many times they misremembered the mediocre slavery meals they used to get in Egypt as part of true freedom.

When one reaches this stage it becomes extremely difficult to free them. A person who thinks and acts like a slave is very difficult, if not impossible, to free. One needs to think and act like a free man if they are going to win their freedom back. Not even a Messiah from heaven can free a people who think like slaves.

Tsvangirai's campaign rallies were all designed to make Zimbabweans think and act like economic slaves. The MDC hoped that they could capitalise on the hardships facing the people by posturing with a false sense of freedom and liberty packaged in financial pledges from Western governments. No wonder this did not work out.

As the legendary musician Bob Marley put it, "You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time." For one to act and think like a free man, they do not need to have a full stomach or to be rich. All they need is to have a free mind and a vision.

This is how the liberation war was fought and won. It was fought and won by young men and women with a free mind that carried a vision to break the chains of a ruinous colonialism. Carrying mere AK-47 rifles against the mighty arsenal of the Rhodesian Front, but they never felt inferior -- they kept thinking like free people and not like ill-armed colonial slaves.

Zimbabweans must tell the MDC once and for all that they will not be made to think like economic slaves, not anymore. The MDC might be having hordes of economic refugees in the Diaspora as supporters, but they cannot be allowed to create economic slaves out of Zimbabweans right on our home soil.

Tsvangirai was basically telling people kuti ndivhoterei ndinosunungura pandakakiya and that kind of an insult cannot be tolerated in this coming runoff. The third lesson coming from this just-ended election is that imperialism will not rest in its endeavour to reverse the land reform programme.

Tsvangirai was obviously fooled by the CIA and London into believing that war veterans can be bought off by massive pensions in return for being pushed out the farms to make room for the return of white settler farmers.

To this end, he kept saying he would establish some Truth and Reconciliation Commission to do a land audit and also review the pensions of war veterans. In his justification for such a review of pensions while he spoke at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare, Tsvangirai said it must be remembered that the war veterans "are not getting any younger".

Very true, Morgan, they are not getting any younger, which is why they are not going to be fooled into giving up their land for some attractive pension package, however, lucrative.

This election had given so much hope to those white settler farmers and there was a deliberate foreplay of things to come through the showing of land occupation documentaries in the Western media. Everyone was being psyched up for Tsvangirai's Truth and Reconciliation Commission -- in fact, a team that should be rightly called the Treachery and Recolonisation Commission.

It is no surprise that the Western media portrays President Mugabe as having lost this election when they know he has not lost it. In their minds, what more can make the image of a dictator than a man who refuses to recognise and accept defeat in an election?

Poor Western media, there are not many takers left for this kind of crude propaganda, really none outside those poor viewers in Western communities who are always subjected to unfair doses of slander and propaganda for news.

Biti obviously feels like he is talking to the world each time he is beamed on BBC, but the truth is that the rest of the world outside Western communities sees a perfect stooge and puppet. Just what did Biti think he was doing saying, "It is clear that no one voted for Cde Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF in this election"? His BBC interviewers did not see the need to edit out this most stupid assertion, of course. You smile and say "Cute" when your poodle vomits, don't you?

The fourth lesson provided by this election is that myths are really deceiving. Poor Simba Makoni. Poor thing. Dr Devaluation is set to gain a new name as Dr Seven Percent soon after the presidential election result is announced. Is this all that reported charisma and intelligence is worth nhai, Nyati?

This writer did say before that Makoni believes the mirror too much and is also easily flattered. So that air-clutching symbol lived for exactly 59 days and died just like the naivety of believing in this Trevor Ncube theory of the Third Force. Third, yes, because Makoni came an emphatic third; but force, no, because there is no force to talk about in 7 percent. Sometimes nicknames can be deceiving. Did Dumiso Dabengwa really believe he was some kind of black Russian?

What a shameful and pathetic way of marketing the Russian legacy if you ask this writer. Whoever told Dabengwa to stand up when people are looking for political heavyweights must be the same person who must have told him that he was as mighty as Putin.

Dabengwa might argue that 190 000 votes garnered by Makoni in Matabeleland are decent enough to save his face, but there is certainly nothing Black Russian in accumulating a 7 percent vote.

As for Ibboston Day Joseph, what an academic quack! Is this all that could come out of the hype and activity that was at SAPES offices when innocent unsuspecting youths were duped into believing that they were in the process of beginning something called Mavambo? The people of Mazowe must feel insulted to have been dragged into this shameful and degrading piece of history without their consent.

Then we hear there were 917 people in Masvingo who thought that Kudzai Mbudzi was different from his name. However, the rest of the constituency were quite clear that Major Mbudzi was not named for nothing. This shameful political outing is what Kudzai Mbudzi once called a revolution. Some people!

Poor Arthur Mutambara. The people of Zengeza thought that King Arthur was not even comparable to that forgotten childish political gatecrasher called Tafadzwa Musekiwa. Being rejected by a constituency that was once gullible enough to be duped by a 24-year-old con politician when you are a NASA rocket scientist does not exactly sound like palatable news. But what was Mutambara thinking when he started running around as Makoni supporter number one and as a leader of a political party at the same time? Political naivety does not come any cheaper.

Oh, Job "Ken Saro Wiwa" Sikhala! Nhai, homeboy, did you really have to end it up in a prison cell? We will call it fighting to the bitter end. Now that Mbudzi did not make it to Parliament and Sikhala's term of clowning has been terminated, who is going to be the next jester in our august House of Assembly?

Oh St Mary's, the nation will never forget you for providing comic relief to Parliament for the past eight years. Hopefully this Marvellous chap will live up to his name.

The politicians, or pseudo-politicians, cited here are just part of many who fell victim to delusions of grandeur and, of course, one Langton Towungana has been left out because some things are better left unsaid, especially when there are claims of divinity involved.

Point number five and the last one in the lessons provided by this election is that a revolution cannot be killed. Even at its worst showing, Zanu-PF remained invincible. In sport they say a team is considered a giant when it can avoid defeat even at its worst performance. That is a measure of depth. Now that defeat at the hands of the reactionary MDC was resolutely avoided, it is time for the giant to rise again and as sure as the sun rises from the East, this runoff will be a massacre for the MDC and Tsvangirai.

As they say, when you slap a sleeping lion you have the onus to brace up for a very crude time. When a revolution rises in defence of its existence no force can stand and stop it and, indeed, MDC Tsvangirai has every reason to be very afraid of the runoff.

They are staring defeat right in the face -- and no amount of politicking or solidarity-seeking can stop the tide. The US, the UK and everyone else can do absolutely nothing about Tsvangirai's impending defeat. It's homeland or death. The revolution will triumph. Together we will overcome.

Zimbabweans Reject Mugabe

Despite massive irregularities and intimidation, the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans have voted against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF ruling party. Although the state-controlled media (The Zimbabwean Broadcasting Corporation – ZBC - and the Herald Newspaper) openly campaigned for Mugabe, vilifying the opposition and granting extravagant TV airtime and newspaper coverage to ZANU-PF propaganda, the two main cities in Zimbabwe, Harare and Bulawayo, have overwhelmingly voted against the ZANU-PF government.

Irregularities

There was no voter education and voters rolls were not made accessible to the opposition. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was run by senior leaders of the Marxist ZANU-PF. Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) raided opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) offices and hotel rooms. Observers, and even parliamentary candidates, were detained. Many MDC candidates, officials and independent observers were threatened, beaten and even murdered.

Observers reported that ZANU-PF had packed the voters rolls with hundreds of thousands of fake names and fictitious addresses, set up ghost polling stations which only ZANU-PF agents knew about, in order to rig the results of the election. Independent observers have also reported that large numbers of voters were being turned away from the polling stations claiming that there names were not on the voters rolls.

Threats

President Robert Mugabe threatened at an election rally last week that any vote for the opposition would be wasted, because it will “never be allowed to rule this country.” Mugabe threatened to put down any Kenya-style protests, “that will never happen here. Never ever, we have enough security forces.”

Intimidation

Observers also reported that the Marxist government had printed millions more ballot papers than there were to voters in the country. They also permitted the ZRP police (who had been intimidating and beating up opposition candidates) into polling booths to “help” the voters. The ZANU-PF government had also intimidated rural voters by threatening their food supply if they failed to vote for their government.

The police also warned the MDC that they were not allowed to celebrate the election results in the streets as that would be interpreted as a coup!

Military and police leaders have threatened to seize power to prevent the opposition replacing ZANU-PF.

Against All Odds

Nevertheless, despite all the threats, intimidation and irregularities, Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the MDC, has claimed an overwhelming victory in the General Election.

Sokwanele, a non-partisan observer group, has released the following results based on the Parallel Voter Tabulation (PVT) taken from the independent website www.zimelectionresults.com and cross-referenced with the Zimbabwean Electoral Support Network (ZESN) data that Tsvangirai’s MDC has won 99 seats, Mutambara’s MDC has won 11 seats, Independents have won one seat, and ZANU-PF 96 seats.

A Threat to Freedom

Sokwanele notes that while the opposition coalition now enjoys a majority control of the House of Assembly, should further vote rigging enable Mugabe to steal the presidential vote, he may dissolve the House of Assembly.

The “official” ZEC figures are being released at such “a snails pace”, and indicate massive discrepancies “a clear sign ZANU-PF is desperately attempting to inflate results in their favour. This is being done to reduce Morgan Tsvangirai’s presidential vote to below the 50% plus one result required for him to win the race in round one.”

A second presidential runoff election would be required if any candidate fails to achieve over 50%.

Blatant Rigging

Independent observers have reported “blatant rigging at it’s most iniquitous” However “the people of Zimbabwe have spoken, and it is now time for ZANU-PF SADC, all other African bodies and the rest of the world to respect and support the will of the people.”

“Mugabe Has Been Defeated!”

Collen Makumbirofa of the Foundation of Reason and Justice reports: “MDC has scored election victory. Mugabe has been defeated! I have no doubt that they will try to manipulate results.”

ZANU Politburo Rejected

According to official results already posted at polling stations, at least 9 of Mugabe’s politburo, his inner circle, have been voted out of their seats. A senior source at the Electoral Commission has reported that actually Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC has taken 191 of the 210 parliamentary seats.

The remainder has been split between the ruling ZANU-PF and the smaller MDC faction backing the ZANU-PF defector Simba Makoni.

Bizarre Broadcasts

Observers have noted that the state controlled ZBC television has, for the most part, ignored the most important election since Independence. ZBC has broadcast a mixture of cartoons and 1970’s football matches instead of reporting on poll results.

Meltdown

MDC MP David Coltart has written: “Mugabe and his cronies are chiefly responsible for an economic meltdown that has turned one of Africa’s most prosperous countries into a country with one of the lowest life expectancies in the world. The average life expectancy in Zimbabwe has fallen from 57 years to 34 years for women and 54 to 37 years for men. Some 3,500 Zimbabweans die every week from the combined effects of HIV/AIDS, poverty and malnutrition. Half a million Zimbabweans may have died already. There is no freedom of speech or assembly in Zimbabwe and the state has used violence to intimidate and murder its opponents.

“At the root of Zimbabwe’s problems is a corrupt political elite that has, with considerable international support, behaved with utter impunity for some two decades. This elite is determined to hang onto power no matter what the consequences, lest it be held to account for the genocide in Matabeleland in the early 1980’s and the wholesale looting that followed the mismanaged land reform in 2000.

“When change comes to Zimbabwe, the nation will have to rediscover the Rule of Law and the sanctity of persons and property. The public discourse and the economy will have to be re-opened. The new government will have to embrace a more limited idea of government and rescind the legislation that makes the operation of the private sector next to impossible. Moreover, the new government will have to find a way for the people of Zimbabwe to heal all the wounds caused by decades of political violence.”

A Tsunami

Eddie Cross of Bulawayo has written: “The outcome of the election has been a stunning victory for the MDC and Morgan Tsvangirai. Many of the strongholds of ZANU-PF have fallen to overwhelming MDC majorities.” He described the rising tide of opposition to Mugabe’s ZANU-PF as “a Tsunami.”

Hidden Heroes

Mr Cross observes: “The consensus of the media and many other commentators was that the MDC was a spent force. Divided and confused, weakened by a year of relentless onslaughts of the authorities and the departure of thousands of their key activists to South Africa and elsewhere. In fact, it stunned ZANU when MDC was able to field 200 candidates at short notice and then come out fighting with a well-prepared and financed campaign. The key to that was the support network built up over several years in the region and these hidden heroes are very much responsible for the activity everyone has seen in the past few weeks – the adverts, the flyers, the postal war and the funding for our candidates.

The Anti-Rigging Campaign

“Finally the anti-rigging operation. We knew how they had rigged previous elections and we set out to try and stop a recurrence. The whistle-blower campaign was a key part of that and we have had hundreds of calls from all quarters and several key hits. The many people who climbed in and said ‘one more time’ and spent days in the bush helping with the count and the reporting system are unsung heroes.

“We Have Had Enough!”

“Then the people – they had just had enough, had enough of arrogance and being taken for granted, enough of the sufferings and destruction of the economy…They chose to suffer in silence and then go out and vote. For me they are the real champions and I hope they will never again be taken for granted. I also hope they will hold the new leadership accountable for the trust they have given us.”

The Destruction of a Country

As 84 year-old Mugabe struggles to extend his 28 year rule into a 6^th term in office, Zimbabwe faces widespread hunger, mass unemployment and inflation soaring above 100,000 %. Most shop shelves are empty. More than 5 million of the population have fled Mugabe’s misrule across the border to neighbouring counties, mostly to South Africa. Many observers recognised this voting with their feet as the most damning evidence of Mugabe’s oppression.

Disenfranchised

However, those outside of the country were prevented from postal votes, or voting in Zimbabwe embassies. In this way ZANU-PF had hoped that most of their opposition had been disenfranchised. Now it would appear that even those who had previously been supporters of Mugabe’s ZANU have finally turned against the misrule of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF regime.

Pray for Zimbabwe

Please mobilize your friends, family and congregation to urgently pray for the Christians in Zimbabwe. There is a very real potential that violence could break out, even worse that the recent riots in Kenya that followed the government rigging of election results there. The violence in Libya, Ivory Coast, the Congo and Rwanda could easily be replicated in Zimbabwe.

We need to pray that the Christian Church in Zimbabwe will humble themselves and pray, and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14).

May every form of corruption and interference with the vote counting be exposed. (As Marxist dictator Joseph Stalin once said: “It’s not who votes who counts, it’s who counts the vote!”

As Reformer Martin Luther pointed out, when we pray: “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done” then “He must put all the opposition to this in one pile and say: “Curses, maledictions and disgrace upon every other name and kingdom. May they be ruined and torn apart and may all their schemes and wisdom and plans run aground.’”

To pray for the extension of God’s Kingdom is to pray for the destruction of all other kingdoms. “The God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which will never be destroyed…It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” Daniel 2:44

Advance and victory for the Church of Christ means defeat and retreat for the kingdom of satan.

A War of Worldviews

There is a life and death struggle between two kingdoms. We are involved in a World War of Worldviews. God’s Kingdom cannot come without satan’s kingdom being destroyed. God’s Will cannot be done on earth without the destruction of evil. Lives and liberty are at stake.

Pray the Psalms

We need to pray the Psalms for Zimbabwe. Pray that the wicked may fall into the pit that they have dug for others (Psalm 9:16; 35:7-8; Galatians 6:7). Pray that the declarations of the wicked may come back to haunt them (Psalm 64:7-8).

Pray that their actions against God’s people may be exposed, confounded and confused (Psalm 64:2-9).

Let us pray in Christ (John 14:14) against the enemies of God (Psalm 119:113) for the glory of God (Psalm 58:11;68:34) naming the individuals and groups according to their malice and persecutions (Exodus 7:2-5; 17-21; Exodus 8:20-21; 12:12; Nehemiah 4:4-5; 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:14).

“When justice is done it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to the evil-doers.” Proverbs 21:15

“Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules…” Psalm 59:13

“…Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship

P.O. Box 74

Newlands, 7725

Cape Town, South Africa

Tel: (021) 689-4480

Fax: (021) 685-5884

admin@frontline.org.za

www.frontline.org.za

See also related articles:

- Zimbabwe – A Lesson in How to Destroy Christian Civilization

Mugabe Tsunami in Zimbabwe