Dear Mr President,
In The Sunday Mail of the 16th October 1994 you were quoted as saying the following at the Presidential prayer breakfast jointly organised by the Harare and Chitungwiza for Jesus Mission and Africa Enterprise of South Africa:
“the ship of State looks to you (church leaders) for moral and spiritual direction. It is you who have been entrusted with the message of light. Do not be afraid to deliver it as you are in the driver’s seat and for once we are the passengers…….. in that way we will go ahead”
I would like to respond to your challenge. I am writing this letter as an open letter through the press for two reasons: firstly, from previous experience I believe that there is a better chance that you will read this letter if it appears in the press than if it is sent via your secretariat and, secondly, the letter is also meant for the wider church. With a few exceptions there has generally been a deafening silence from the Church over the last 30 years regarding serious human rights abuses in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. In short the Church has often failed to stand up and expose moral decay in society. Two weeks have gone by for the Church to take up your challenge on a number of pressing issues which are facing our country at present but the Church appears to have been mute. For a number of years now I have been increasingly worried about the direction the ship of state has been taking. Time and space do not permit me to detail all my concerns; here are the chief issues which I believe the Church should be raising with you.
1.Corruption/bribery
Since 1989 in my capacity as a lawyer I have become increasingly concerned about the prevalence of corruption in our society. There is evidence of serious acts of corruption perpetrated by senior ranking members of your Government. People who are well connected to your Government have managed to get rich quickly. Senior members of your Government on Government salaries have managed to become millionaires within a few years; I know that if they are paying taxes and living honestly there is no possible way they could have accumulated such wealth in such a short space of time. If you do not deal with the problem you will no longer be able to distance yourself personally from the rampant corruption and bribery being perpetrated by those under your direct control. The Bible is full of warnings regarding corruption and bribery. Amos 5:12 reads:
“you oppress the righteous and take bribes…. therefore…. there will be wailing in the streets and cries of anguish in every public square”.
We need to consider seriously the words contained in Isaiah 1:23 – 31:
“your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves, they all love bribes and chase after gifts….Therefore …..I will turn my hand against you, I will thoroughly purge away your dross….. the mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no-one to quench the fire”.
Mr President, you know which of your rulers fit the description set out above. You know which of your rulers, the leaders of your Government, have companions who are thieves, which of them love bribes and chase after gifts. The warnings contained in scripture must be taken seriously by you. You need to know that there is deep resentment brewing in this nation as a result of the widening gap between rich and poor. There is resentment over the deepening division between a super rich ZANU (PF) elite, a bureaucratic gentry, and an overwhelming majority of very poor people. If corruption is not dealt with in the highest levels of Government, that resentment amongst your people will grow and could erupt against you.
2.Failure to compensate the widows, fatherless and orphans of Matabeleland
Since 1983 I have worked closely with the people of Matabeleland and am acutely aware of the immense suffering sustained by women and children as a result of the dissident war which was waged between 1982 and 1988. I am aware that hundreds, if not thousands, have been affected by the violence perpetrated against them and their loved ones by dissidents and members of the Zimbabwe National Army, in particular the Fifth Brigade. I have had many families come through my doors with requests that I should locate husbands who have gone missing or to claim compensation for injuries suffered. There are countless other people who are too scared or too poor or too ignorant to seek the services of a lawyer. These same widows, fatherless and orphans harbour deep hurt and anger over what has happened to them, and that cannot simply be wished away. Whatever the rights and wrongs of that period, the fact is that all of these atrocities were perpetrated by young men who bore allegiance either to yourself or to the senior leaders of PF ZAPU who are now in your Government.
I had hoped that, in an act of reconciliation, you might seek to compensate these people, who after all were innocent pawns in a power game they had no control over. I was as a result deeply saddened when I read a few weeks ago that you were not prepared to consider compensating the widows, fatherless and orphans of Matabeleland. With respect, your comparison of the sufferings sustained by these people with those suffered by people during the liberation struggle does not hold water to this extent: whilst the suffering of people in the liberation struggle was much more extensive than that suffered by the people in Matabeleland in the 1980’s, the fact of the matter is that the War Victims Compensation Act (No. 22 of 1980) provides compensation for any people who suffered injuries as a result of the liberation struggle. As you are aware, thousands of people have been able to obtain compensation using this Act. The people of Matabeleland, especially the widows, fatherless and orphans of Matabeleland, have no such legal statute through which they can obtain redress.
In Deuteronomy 10:18 we are told that God:
“defends the cause of the fatherless and the widows…., giving (them) food and clothing”
In Exodus 22:21-24 we are warned:
“do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless”.
The God of the Bible is constantly one who defends the weak. Throughout scripture we read that where the weak are oppressed or their cause is frustrated God is deeply angered. Perhaps the tragedy is that you do not know the full extent of the atrocities perpetrated in Matabeleland during the dissident war. God calls for compassion to be shown to these people; if compassion is not shown, you must be prepared to face God’s wrath.
3. Perverting Justice
(a) Churu Farm
Double standards have been displayed by your Government. Last year the Community of Reconciliation obtained a High Court order to evict the squatters, at New Adams Farm, responsible for the massacre of 14 missionaries in 1987. When the Deputy Sheriff attempted to evict the squatters the Police refused to co-operate with the Deputy Sheriff. On enquiries made it was discovered that the Police were under instructions from your Government not to assist the Deputy Sheriff. It is incomprehensible that your Government is not prepared to help evict people who have been involved in the murder of missionaries and yet is prepared to devote hundreds of riot Police to evict innocent people and dump them hundreds of kilometres away with much determination and force.
I have watched with growing alarm how innocent people have been treated by Government at Churu Farm in the last year. Women and children were thrown into the streets in November last year to face the rains. More recently the Police and the other authorities carted innocent people off to a refugee camp. I hold no brief for the Reverend Sithole and fully understand his political motive in allowing people onto Churu Farm. That however is besides the point. The concern is that innocent people who have invested what little money they have have been treated like aliens and dumped in a refugee camp. These same people have had to leave their cattle, crops which they had planted and houses which they have built with their own hands. It appears that they will receive no compensation.
Micah 2:1 is relevant:
“woe to those who plan inequity, to those who plot evil on their beds. At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance. Therefore, the Lord says: ‘I am planning disaster against these people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will not longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity'”.
Whilst Government undoubtedly has the power, both legally and physically, to do what it has done, the whole affair is so obviously unjust. It is a perversion of justice in that it appears to be an act of spite and political malice. Whilst you yourself have not been directly linked to what has happened at Churu Farm you have always had the power to prevent what has happened from happening. Government has through this act defrauded poor people of their homes, fellow citizens of their inheritance, without any compensation being paid. The warnings from God are clear and should be heeded.
(b) Pardoning criminals
It is important in any country that the rule of law be respected. In essence the rule of law holds that no person is above the law. The men who attempted to murder Patrick Kombayi in 1990 should have been subject to the law. Great sacrifices were made by people to bring these two criminals to justice in the first place. Threats were levelled against the courageous young people who compiled the docket and ensured that the matter was brought before our courts. The two accused men were given the best possible legal defence (a defence which is denied to over 95% of people going through our criminal justice system). Their case was dealt by an impartial senior Magistrate who carefully considered all the evidence. Their appeal was heard by one of the finest appellate courts in Africa and they were represented at the appeal by one of Zimbabwe’s finest Advocates. The Supreme Court considered the facts and the defences and found that they were indeed guilty of attempting to murder Mr Patrick Kombayi. No-one disputes your right to exercise your Presidential prerogative to pardon people but it must be done in a way which does not undermine respect for the rule of law and our courts. Regrettably in this case your pardoning was seen as a callous political act which showed utter contempt for our courts and which sent a message to all those struggling to bring about democracy in this country that violence against opposition politicians is pardonable.
This pardoning perverted justice in a very serious way. The Bible is replete with condemnations of justice being perverted. In Amos 5:7-11 we read:
“you who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground ….. you trample on the poor and force him to give you grain; therefore, though you have built stone mansions you will not live in them; and though you have planted lush vineyards you will not drink their wine”.
Micah 3:9 warns:
“you rulers…..who despise justice and distort all that is right…..therefore because of you, Zion will be ploughed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets”.
These are strong words but the Bible is full of them and they are such truisms. It is logical that when people lose respect for or hope in the justice system of any country the very fabric of society begins to break down. Justice is the cornerstone of life; without it none of us have any security. History shows that more often than not when justice is perverted strife and tragedy follow.
4. Being likened to Christ/Idolatry and Sycophancy in Government
A few years ago Mr. Tony Gara M.P. likened you to Jesus Christ in Parliament. This year at the opening of a new University, Minister Mudenge made a similar utterance. There has not been any public denouncement of these statements made by yourself, although I recognise that you may have rebuked them privately. Whatever the case, these descriptions of you being similar to the Son of God require public repudiations from you. In human terms this is necessary because firstly, your silence breeds sycophancy amongst your supporters (who will only tell you what they think you want to hear, not the truth) and, secondly, if not stopped your rule could be marked by a growing sense of megalomania (which will in turn hinder your ability to grasp and deal with major problems facing the Nation).
The Bible warns of the folly of associating with and encouraging sycophants (read “idolaters”) in Ephesians 5:5:
“For of this you can be sure : no immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them”.
In Acts 12:21-23 the Bible stresses the importance of a leader repudiating idolatrous praise:
“On the appointed day Herod, arrayed in his royal robes, took his seat on the throne and made a public address to them. The mob shouted, “A voice of a god and not of a man!”. But instantly an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not ascribe the glory to God. He was eaten by worms, and died”.
Mr President, the warning should be clear to you: if you continue to allow yourself to be surrounded by men who puff you up you will be deceived and there will be a price to pay in the long run. The only immediate remedy would be for you to make a public disavowal of these particular statements – it is never too late and such a disavowal will send a strong message to the sycophants surrounding you.
All the points of concern raised above have nothing to do with party political matters. They deal with the essence of God’s standards of justice and morality. The Church has a duty to speak out wherever biblical standards of justice and morality are being ignored or flouted. You have challenged the Church to give direction and this is right. But the Church, I think, in many ways has failed you and Zimbabwe in this area as it has been too timid. I trust it will start to recognise its responsibilities. Daniel helped the ruler he served not by bowing to his desires but by fearing God before the King. In nearly all the verses I have quoted there are strong warnings which you need to heed. One of the principal roles of the Church is to be salt and light in society. Salt so that decaying process in society can be halted. Light so that the Church can show the way out of a path which leads to our destruction.
Accordingly in writing this letter my purpose is not simply to point out where I think you and Government have not met God’s standards of justice and morality. I hope you will realise that the concerns must be addressed not simply because justice should be brought to those who have suffered injustice but because your own, and your Government’s, survival depends on it. History is replete with examples of leaders who have flouted God’s standards of justice and whose political careers have come to a sorry end. All of them have no doubt been crippled by not fearing God sufficiently. All of them have no doubt felt that they were so firmly rooted in power that they had no need to observe these very basic tenets of God-ordained justice. Many no doubt were shocked by the speed in which they were uprooted and swept away. They should not have been because, had they taken the time to consider Isaiah 40:23-24, they would have been warned:
“he brings Princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff”.
And I hope that the wider Church in Zimbabwe (and I include myself in this) will realise how we have failed the Nation by not being bold enough and that there are consequences for us as well if we continue in this state of apathy and quiescence. Jesus in Mathew 5:13 warns that if the Church loses its saltness:
“It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”.
Likewise Jesus, in Revelation 3:15-16 warns the Church:
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth”.
Mr President it is not too late. You have a firm grip on power. You have enormous powers vested in your office in terms of the Constitution. Come what may in the 1995 Parliamentary elections, you can exercise those powers until the 1996 Presidential elections to bring about sweeping changes which can instantly address the majority of the concerns I have written about. If you do act boldly to bring about justice in our land, God’s blessings will be reaped by you. Likewise if the Church acts boldly to be true to its calling it will assist in averting the dire consequences warned of. However if we all do not heed these warnings and act, both the Bible and history show us that the ship of state is on a perilous course.
Yours sincerely
DAVID COLTART
BULAWAYO