Proportional representation Member of Parliament (MP) representing the disabled, Nyamayavo Mashavakure has criticised self-styled prophets and pastors for exploiting the conditions of disabled people for their own fame.
Mashavakure was speaking at a Public Lecture hosted by the Reformed Church University (RCU) at Morgenster Teachers College last week.
The lecture was held under the theme ‘Disability and Christianity’ and was attended by RCU staff, students and members of the public.
Mashavakure said people living with disabilities experience psychological torture and harassment from Christians especially pastors and prophets who seek to make their names out of the disabled.
“In the Bible, all the unfortunate were disabled. The stigma and stereotype goes on in today’s Christian life. Whenever prophets or pastors preach or perform their miracles, they force the disabled to go forward and receive their healing. That becomes wrong when the ‘healing’ fails to materialise,” he said.
He urged all Christians and pastors to broadly read the bible correctly and understand it before lying and abusing people using God’s name.
“When God created the disabled, he had his own purpose. Who are you prophets to stand in God’s way and disturb that purpose? Moses was disabled and if God wanted, he could have healed him but instead he provided him with Aaron and later on Joshua for assistance. What you need to do is assisting the disabled and stop lying and abuse us for your own prestige,” added the senator.
“Blindness is permanent. No one can reverse that. Prophets who claim they healed blind people are lying. The people were partially blind. Now they lie to people that they can make blind people see. They are gaining followers by sinful ways.
“If those prophets were genuine, why do we have Jairos Jiri, Copota and Henry Murray? There are many people living with disabilities in those organisations. Why are they still disabled?
Mashavakure also questioned authorities’ concern for the welfare of the less privileged.
“Government’s commitment to disabled people is questionable; special classes – there are a variety of people; the mentally challenged, slow learners and disabled are all mixed in one class and they call it special class. Why is it so? There are only two MPs who are disabled in Parliament today but by law every local authority should have at least two representatives of the disabled who are also living with disabilities,” the senator said.
RCU Vice Chancellor, Wiseman Magwa also rebuked Christians who exploit the disability of others for their own selfish gain while disregarding the word of God and the feelings of the disabled.
“Disability is not inability; everyone should be given the right and chance to learn everything despite his/her appearance or disability. Whenever we see a disabled person, we always think they need material help. A lot of disabled people were made to fail interviews before they even sat for them. We see them as charity instead of human beings,” Prof Magwa said.news

CHIREDZI – The newly elected Zanu PF councilor for Chiredzi’s Ward Five, Blessing Mazinyani, was last week arrested for public drinking and was briefly detained at Chiredzi police station.
He was released after paying $10 fine.
Mazinyani was among several revellers who were rounded up by police after being found drinking at an unregistered beer outlet at Zava business centre.
Police raided the revellers last Thursday afternoon during their routine patrols and the youthful councillor was apprehended as he tried to escape from the scene when the police arrived.
Eyewitnesses said he tried to persuade the police to let him go citing his influence as ruling party councillor but the police would have none of it and was shoved into the back of a police vehicle and taken to the police station.news

MPANDAWANA – Residents of the new town of Mpandawana last week handed over a petition to council demanding that the new parking by-laws be shelved until proper consultations are made with members of the general public.
Gutu United Residents and Ratepayers Association (GURRA) chairman, Lloyd Mufudze, said they had collected in excess of 100 signatures which were handed over to Gutu Rural District Council Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Mtembwa.
“We now await the response from council but our query is that no consultations were done with members of the general public prior to the decision to copy Gokwe’s parking by-laws.
“We expect councillors, as representatives of the people, to consult with the electorate before voting on such important issues. In this regard, we have asked the council to shelve plans to adopt these by-laws until such consultation has been carried out,” said Mufudze.
Mufudze added that while the Gokwe parking by-laws were clear on applicable areas, the case was altogether different in Mpandawana.
“Gutu is a vast populous district and the council has jurisdiction over the whole district. It is not clear where these by-laws will be applied.
“If it had been the new Mpandawana Town Board, which to date remains a committee of council, which had made such recommendations then we would know that only the new town is affected. As it right now, there is ambiguity so the new by-laws could be seen to be targeted at all and sundry throughout the district,” he said.
Mufudze said that as a residents association they were not happy that the parent ministry which awarded Mpandawana town status has not yet gazetted the new status leaving the new Town Board at the mercy of the rural council.
“Some of the decisions which they make do not affect the general populace in Gutu but are specifically directed at Mpandawana residents. As such the Town Board should have the power to make decisions concerning the town without making reference to the council,” said Mufudze.
New Town Board Chairman, Councillor Gabriel Mapepa, said he still had to see the petition while Mtembwa could not be reached for comment on the issue.news

Tinomutenda Midzi

MASVINGO – Five people from Mashava last week appeared at the Masvingo Provincial Magistrates Court accused of thrice obstructing messengers of court who were executing their duties in December 2014.
Aron Tavonga Muvengwa (30), Edmond Chikukwa (35), Alex Mugova (35), Notwell Ruzengwe (58), Ezra Ruvai Chadzamira (41) and Tawanda Dube (40) were accused of obstructing Silvester Beji Ndebele and Joat Sibindi when they were doing their work.
Magistrate Mudzongachiso postponed the case to September 1, 2016
It is the State case that, on the December, 17 2014, Ndebele and Sibindi went to Mashava to execute an eviction order in respect of a civil court case number 1434/14 at house number 26 Westonlee, Mashava.
After noticing the developments, Muvengwa allegedly went to the scene and ordered the two messengers of court to stop the execution but they ignored him.
Muvengwa then became aggressive and started off-loading the already loaded truck and the eviction stopped.
On the December 19, 2014, the same team returned to Mashava to evict a Eunice Chitumba and as they were busy, Muvengwa, who was travelling in Chadzamira’s vehicle, demanded the evictions to stop and ordered the messengers of court to give him the keys they used to unlock the door.
Muvengwa allegedly went on to take the keys from one of the vehicles and handed them to Chitumba.
On December 23 of the same year, a different messenger of court was evicting one Ngwenyama in Mashava, when the accused allegedly parked a vehicle in such a way as to block the messenger of court’s truck in which some property had been loaded and demanded that the property be off-loaded.
The messenger of court sensed danger and left the mission before going to report to the matter to the police.
Murambiza James appeared for the State.news

Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO – Pastor Patrick Mugadza of the Remnant Church has predicted drastic changes in the political and economic fortunes of the country, saying he foresees woe to some members of the government who are blamed for perpetuating the current crisis.
The outspoken Kariba-based clergyman, who shot to fame with his solo demonstration against President Robert Mugabe during the Zanu PF conference in December last year, has just completed his 40 days of prayer and fasting dubbed #Mugabe Must Fall.
“It was after the realisation that everything has to start in the Spirit and so we realised that the best way to see RG (Mugabe) standing down is by way of praying to God. We were so much assured in prayer that the prayer was answered and it was just a matter of time,” said the charismatic pastor.
He said he was foreseeing a major shake-up which will leave some senior officials in the country’s leadership in dire straits.
“I foresee a high profile resignation or dismissal with (Vice President Emmerson) Mnangagwa being one of the casualties. He will literally be a vendor by the roadside for survival,” Pastor Mugadza said.
He said during the 40 day campaign which began on July 1 and ended on August 9, God showed him a vision of women who were painstakingly driving cars over a seemingly insurmountable ascent.
“All of a sudden, I saw a horse-drawn carriage with a white man inside. I then saw the American flag and the horses were galloping but I wondered how horses could gallop and scale such steep terrain when cars were struggling. But suddenly I saw a sign written ‘Welcome to Zimbabwe’ and I then realised how close the end was,” said Pastor Mugadza.
On the numerous protests rocking the country, Pastor Mugadza said any form of political activism against the current government should be spontaneous and citizen-driven.
“The regime does not want to give in to pressure from rival political parties but they will be left with no choice if the whole thing is citizen-driven. Let all civic groups and hash tags come together. There is no problem with receiving external support as the regime would want us to believe.
“During the liberation struggle, they thrived on external support and just recently, Patrick Chinamasa was in London begging for support. We need all the support we can get because we want to dismantle the system because they do not have the capacity to deliver,” Pastor Mugadza said.
He criticised church leaders who hide behind the ‘all leaders are appointed by God and ‘we must pray for them’ bandwagon.
“The church is the voice for the voiceless, if she remains silent at this critical moment in time, she then makes herself a partner in crime,” he said.news

Kennedy Murwira

GUTU – Villagers of Gutu district are  heaving a sigh of relief after Care International’s electronic cash transfers, that had temporarily been suspended earlier this year, were reintroduced to cushion impoverished villagers from extreme hunger.
The payouts were first introduced by Care International in 2015 to help feed thousands of people facing food shortages after a severe drought which affected most parts of the district during the previous farming season.
Most of the areas in Gutu district received very little or no rainfall resulting in most crops failing due to moisture stress.
The cash programme was unfortunately suspended earlier this year with many councillors in the district saying the beneficiaries of the programme would once again be left with no food at all.
The programme was introduced to replace the expensive system whereby the non-governmental aid organisation would ferry maize grain to the communal areas.
Under the new system, beneficiaries receive a small amount of money in their EcoCash wallet which they can easily withdraw and procure maize grain for their families.
Elated villagers who have already received their money for the month of July told TellZim News that the reintroduction of the cash programme came as a relief as most of them did not have any other means of putting food on the table.
“This is indeed good news since most of us could hardly afford one meal per day. The money that we receive from Care International will go a long way in helping us to put food on the table. We wish to thank the organisation for timely giving us this assistance,” said William Hamadziripi who resides in Ward 19.
His sentiments were echoed by other villagers who said they were very grateful to the humanitarian aid organisation for its work in poor and marginalised communities.news

CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Christian College students were last week Friday caught pants down in the college’s chemistry laboratory after they had gone for their holiday lessons.
The two love birds (names supplied) were caught by an alert security officer who was on duty around 07:00am.
 “Yes it’s true I caught them pants down and I called a staff member at the college to witness the misbehavior. I heard some movements in the laboratory and I tried to open the door since the doors are usually locked during the holidays,” said the officer who preferred anonymity.
“That is when I realised something bad was happening in there,” said the officer.
Another employee at the college said the two delinquent students had their own keys to the laboratory.
“The boy had brought duplicate keys from home which the two then used to gain entry. The girl hid in another room before the door could be opened. We saw a T-shirt a pant, a used condom, a laid down cloth and the boy’s trousers on the floor. We then searched in the mattress room and found her hiding,” said the employee.
It is suspected the two had often been using the laboratory as their rendezvous as they had been seen there on several occasions while others were studying.
The students now face expulsion from the college when the new school term begins in September.
“You must conduct the school head for any information. I am not the one who is responsible for commenting on any school information,” said the college’s deputy head who was identified only as Mr Muziro. The college head, Mr Chikwati, could not be reached for comment.news