Independent On Line/SAPA
July 25 2007
Bulawayo – Hundreds of residents in Zimbabwe’s second city thronged
the cathedral on Wednesday for prayers in support of outspoken Roman
Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube who is being sued for alleged adultery.
“The purpose of the prayer was mobilising and giving moral, spiritual,
mental and physical support to Archbishop Ncube,” said Effie Ncube – no
relation to the cleric – who is chairperson of The Pius Ncube Solidarity
Coalition, a clutch of non-governmental organisations, church groups and
political parties.
“We also want to ensure he gets a fair hearing consistent with
international human rights and judicial standards as well as countering
state propaganda regarding the lawsuit,” he added after attending the prayer
service.
Last week state media published pictures they claimed depicted the
Bulawayo archbishop, a fearless critic of President Robert Mugabe, having
sex with a married woman in his bedroom.
They claimed the pictures were taken secretly with cameras set up by a
private investigator hired by the woman’s husband to secure evidence of the
alleged adultery. The husband is now suing Ncube for 20-billion Zimbabwe
dollars (about R1,1-million).
Mugabe last Thursday rebuked the cleric for “snatching other people’s
women.”
Effie Ncube said that Zimbabweans had “seen through the machinations
of the state and are standing behind the archbishop.”
“This state-driven scandal cannot be allowed to deprive Zimbabwe as a
nation of its strongest and most consistent voice,” he added.
“Archbishop Ncube has spoken fearlessly on behalf of us all, and
whatever the truth or falsity of these allegations, we will not allow this
great activist to be silenced.”
Among high-profile people at the lunch-time prayer meeting were
opposition Movement for Democratic Change lawmaker David Coltart.
Effie Ncube said the coalition was concerned about the manner in which
state media covered the archbishop’s case from the time he was served with a
summons to court to answer the adultery lawsuit.
He said the coalition had also drawn up a petition to protest “the
brazen display of pornography by the public media” and said over a thousand
people had signed the document the group intends to present to parliament
and various government departments. – Sapa-AFP