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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
THE church must stand firm against rising cases of lawlessness characterised by gender-based violence (GBV), prostitution and drug abuse to foster a respectable nation adored by all, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing thousands of people at a prayer session she initiated in Caledonia on Saturday, a peri-urban populous settlement in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East province, the First Lady said most ills afflicting society today required prayer because both the young and the old were involved.
Amai Mnangagwa has been holding similar events in all provinces countrywide. This was the second time she was having a prayer session in Caledonia and it was held just after cleaning up the area.
The theme was; “We pray without ceasing because we know God is able to heal our land: Theme scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14”
Speaking during an interactive session, the mother of the nation, who is also the country’s health ambassador immediately put in place soccer and netball teams for drug addiction survivors, former ladies of the night and youths as a way of rehabilitating them.
She also set teams for elderly men and women to allow for exercises and immediately provided them with balls to kick-start training.
The First Lady personally set two teams per each category.
She has a programme aimed at rehabilitating drug survivors through sport which she is taking to all the country’s provinces as part of bold measures to arrest the challenge.
She said the best teams from all the provinces will compete at national level.
It is the humility and simplicity with which Dr Mnangagwa does her things that left residents of Caledonia spellbound.
“There is a lot that has to be discussed in the home and there is a lot that needs to be discussed in the family. Our aim today is to uplift our faith so that God helps us. There are many things that are happening in our families. You may make progress to an extent, but you then need the Creator’s assistance. I greet you all in the name of Jesus our Lord,” the First Lady said to applause.
“I extend happiness to you all saying, hallelujah. The cleaning exercise we were conducting earlier dovetails with what Jehovah wants because cleanliness is next to Godliness. Therefore, we are going forward and saying we are trying alone as mortal souls what we can, but forgive us where we go wrong. Give us kind hearts and the heart to respect one another. We need a heart not to scold others,” she said.
The First Lady zeroed in on the issue of drug abuse, which is affecting both urban and rural communities countrywide.
“Some of the drunkenness, zvanyanya. Makare kudhakwa kwaiveko asi kwete kwe mhando iyi yatavakuona mazuvano. Munozvionawo sei vana mai nana baba, tozvipedza sei nekuti vana vedu vaparara. We now want to discuss about our families, empowerment, development and teaching one another how to work hard for our families using our hands. We need to also touch on our way of life which is now appalling,” she said.
She added: “There is violence in homes all the time and neighbours question if we spend two days in peace kuti nhasi pasina noise pamba apa kwakanaka here. To those who love fighting, there are many boxing clubs and its done there and ends there, but it brings money home because it will be a profession.
“We don’t want those who take that home to abuse one another. How about our manners? Why do we copy alien cultures that we do not understand or know about? We latch onto things from foreign countries. I want to thank the Government led by President Dr ED Mnangagwa for allowing those who worship to do so in peace. We want to be preached on over the taking of drugs and other intoxicating substances and stealing. Some children are stealing their mother’s blankets they sleep in for sale to get a dollar for drugs.
“You have created great trouble at the home. Where will you get another blanket? How about prostitution and fornication? We want this spirit of prostitution to go because this is causing a lot of challenges in the country – pregnancies, diseases, divorces. What is prostitution?” she asked.
An elderly woman rose from gathering in a response that triggered laughter.
“Prostitution is done by men and women where one beds someone’s husband. There are some with a habit of stealing other people’s husbands, other people’s wives or sleeping with younger children who are below the age of consent.
“Prostitution also involves young men sleeping around with elderly women who are not of their age. There are also elderly men who are in love with young girls whom they are not married to,” the woman said.
The First Lady concurred with the views and said there was need for an immediate solution to the challenge which had become so widespread that it cut across all ages.
“You see a young girl or boy looking themselves up in the mirror for what? This is a spirit which our elderly did not see in their time. We used to blame elders for marrying off young girls but we are discovering that these young girls are practising prostitution.
“They now have the powers to elope and stay with men even when they are below the age of consent. Now as churches, what are we doing about this. Are we preparing these children for this because marriage is not a joke, we need to teach our children good manners.
“Men as leaders of homes should have time to teach children and elderly women must do likewise. May God intervene in such things and help us because it is now so widespread and cuts across all ages,” she said.
Chaplain Christine Phiri from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) praised the First Lady for watching over her children all the time.
Her topic was “Zimbabweans To Embrace And Celebrate Empowerment Programmes Being Implemented In The Country.”
She touched on many empowerment projects being initiated by Amai Mnangagwa through her Angel of Hope Foundation in all the country’s provinces for the benefit of vulnerable groups.
“As preachers we have come to thank Amai, embrace and celebrate what she is doing in the country to fight poverty. She saw that poverty mostly affects women and came up with programmes to uplift womenfolk and fight the dependency syndrome.
“Amai you did well, men were weary of being hit with elbows in the home for failing to buy ‘nice things’ for their wives who did not want to work and help their husbands to look after their children. Amai came up with a vision to uplift women. She did not select the women according to location and said if a woman works, she will quit gossip, witchcraft and prostitution.
“Also Amai is saying if a woman is empowered, it means the whole nation is empowered. She is not giving her children fish but she is giving them the fishing rod to fish. The First Lady saw it fit to train various groups mainly women to earn a living through the use of their hands,” she said.
“Shanda, shandawe, shanda, shandira korona,” the Chaplain sang to the delight of the attendees.
She chronicled the hard to reach areas like Binga and Kanyemba which the First Lady visited to train women to make detergents and petroleum jelly to end domestic violence since women no longer rely on their husbands thus lessening burden.
“Clap your hands if you are not pained by these efforts. Amai came up with the Nharirire Yemusha Programme to find solutions to the surge in gender-based violence,” she said.
Chaplain Phiri jokingly added saying; “I now want to get married, please pray for me, because I was taught how to conduct myself in the home by Amai through Nharirire Yemusha programme. Maybe this is what cost my marriage but now ndave neruzivo kuti imba inobatwa say, so clap hands for Amai,” she said drawing laughter from the crowd.
She said the First Lady saw that drug abuse was a big challenge in the country and introduced Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme which foster good morals.
“This was after she realised that our daughters were now doing sleep overs and glorifying prostitution. She started programmes to give our daughters identity and value themselves. She also taught women, youths to make reusable sanitary pads as a way of empowering them.
“Her foundation also partnered with the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) to train those without academic qualifications some short courses for free. I trained in sign language and i can now preach for those with disabilities,” said the Chaplain while demonstrating sign language.
She further urged those gathered to embrace empowerment projects being spearheaded by the First Lady for the development of their families, communities and the nation at large.
Chaplain Phiri prayed for abundant blessings for the country and for wisdom in the President and the First Lady to always come up with programmes and initiatives to spur development in the country.
So touching was yesterday’s prayer session that those in attendance praised the First Lady for committing her time to educating the people and praying for the nation.
“Amai is surely God sent. Since independence in 1980, we have not had a First Lady of this calibre. She takes her time to assess challenges affecting the people and helps in the search for solutions. May God grant her more wisdom for the benefit of the nation,” said Mr Honest Maromo.
The views were shared by yet another resident, Mrs Charity Chimhuri, who said she admired the First Lady’s zeal to improve the way of life of Zimbabweans.
“What I love about Amai is that she has passion for what she does. She does her things from the bottom of her heart and she is well-meaning. We pray the nation continues to listen to what she will be saying and turn away from misbehaviour. We have a good mother in her who loves her children. We are now a prayerful community because of the First Lady. Caledonia will never be the same again. Tawanirwa nyasha, tarangarirwa,” she said.
The First Lady joined the gathering in praise and worship.
She went around the ground while singing songs of adoration much to the delight of the crowd.
Online Reporter