Mnangagwa’s National Day of Prayer an Insult: Activists

The declaration of the 15th of June as the National Day of Prayer and Fasting by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is an insult to the people of Zimbabwe who have continued to suffer under his Zanu PF regime, activists say.

After Mnangagwa set Monday 15 June 2020 as the day for prayer and fasting in the face of the Covid19 scourge which has killed four and infected over 300 nationals, many described his move as blasphemous.

Various commentators dismissed Mnangagwa’s announcement as paying no particular attention to problems faced by the generality of Zimbabwean people ‘who have been fasting’ all along due to unaffordability of basic commodities such as mealie-meal in the country.

“This call to prayer is an insult to the suffering people of Zimbabwe. So many have died at the hands of (Mnangagwa),” said activist Patricia Chinyoka on Twitter.

Chinyoka also called upon the media to snub broadcasting the prayer and fasting meeting called by the ruling party and, instead, ‘run a thread of all murders (and) all suffering injustice now’.

“Broadcasters run a thread of all murders & all suffering injustice now. (Zimbabwe media), we ask you to stand with the people of Zimbabwe (and) reject broadcasting the prayer (and) fasting meeting called by Zanu PF instead focus on highlighting the injustices perpetrated by this regime,” she wrote.

Calls for the snubbing of Mnangagwa’s prayer meeting comes as his Government has widely been criticised over how it handled the alleged abductions of three opposition MDC Alliance youth leaders who were found dumped and badly tortured at Muchapondwa business centre in Bindura recently.

The trio are now being charged with faking their own abductions and are in remand prison awaiting bail hearing on Monday, the same day for the national prayer and fasting event.

Zwnews