By Christopher Makaza
The MDC`s Chaplaincy`s department, formed to spread the gospel of MDC and assist the opposition political party to penetrate Zanu PF strongholds, last week elected a national executive in order to strengthen itself ahead of the 2023 harmonised election.
Addressing the new executive at the National Pastors Spiritual Conference held in Gweru last week, the department`s National Chairperson, Douglas Mambure from AFM, spelt out the department`s objectives among them to; ensure the Christian community vote for the MDC in 2023 election, provide moral and spiritual support to the MDC leadership, give spiritual direction and wisdom to MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa and use respective church organisations to spread MDC gospel.
The AFM pastor also encouraged pastors in the national executive structure to establish structures in the rural areas which include MDC members so that it becomes easier to spread the MDC gospel. Mambure also urged the pastors to use part of the tithes paid by church members to fund MDC activities.
Speaking at the same event, MDC organising secretary, Amos Chibaya urged the pastors to invite and accommodate the opposition party during church gatherings so that the party is given time to address congregants on political issues since MDC rallies are normally banned by law enforcers.
Chibaya promised to fund the organisation adding that MDC funders are also ready to fund the vehicle, reiterating the need to create structures in rural areas so that they recruit supporters for MDC especially youths.
Morgan Komichi said church network is another grand strategy the opposition party was using in recruiting, capturing and penetrating the electorate. He said the chaplaincy`s department was a very strong campaign wing for MDC urging department members to counter Zanu PF he said also uses churches to campaign.
Komichi noted that almost 70% of churches in Zimbabwe at the moment have no political parties they support, hence the need to lure them to MDC. He revealed that the MDC had a technical department created to teach pastors on how to win peoples` hearts.
The opposition party has not only been using churches to spread their ideology across the country. They have also been using Civic Society Organisations (CSOs) especially during food distribution in rural areas. Prior to 2013 election, ZRP confiscated illegal communication devices among them radios from MDC which some CSOs meant to use to promote hate speech ahead of the harmonised election.
The multiband radios were meant to receive signals from the pirate radio stations such as Studio 7, Voice of the People, SW Radio Africa and many others.
