Church leaders in Zimbabwe released a statement for the first time yesterday stating the recent presidential election result was not an expression of the will of the people. They said people are being subjected to violence that includes torture, murder, abductions, displacement and psychological trauma. The church leaders urged a transitional authority be implemented, and said the churches could play a role in talks.

The YWCA of Zimbabwe experienced first hand the political violence church leaders referred to when a youth militia entered the property and threatened to behead the 120 displaced women and children seeking shelter at the hostel four weeks ago. Many of the women and children who had already witnessed torture and murders were left traumatised and terrified.

‘We hope to continue to respond to some of the needs of our people particularly through counselling, spiritual support as well as by imparting conflict resolution and peace building skills to communities we serve,’ says the letter signed by, Maureen Mpofu, President of the YWCA of Zimbabwe and Shelia Matindike, General Secretary of the YWCA of Zimbabwe.

Read full letter here:

Christian greetings from YWCA.

We write as an associate member of Zimbabwe Council of Churches to add a voice of support to the recommendations by various international bodies, like SADC and AU for dialogue between the political parties in Zimbabwe.

The YWCA, a Christian organisation of women and girls, believes in prayer and constant dialogue with God. We will continue to pray for our nation for healing and reconciliation among the people of this land, for tolerance between persons of different political persuasions and for the rebuilding of the lives of people whose live hoods were destroyed. We will continue to pray for the Lord’s guidance for the mediators in the dialogue that we hope will open a new page in the lives of Zimbabweans.

While we pray, we continue to provide practical support in solving the situation in this country.
We hope to continue to respond to some of the needs of our people particularly through counselling, spiritual support as well as by imparting conflict resolution and peace building skills to communities we serve.

We are aware of the tremendous mediation efforts the church has invested over the years in the Zimbabwean situation and we commend you for that. We are pleased to note that as the church, you have taken seriously the role of mediation because as Christians, we are called upon to be Christ like by fostering peace and unity among God’s people.

We also wish you to know that as YWCA women, we are with you all the way in executing the important role of rebuilding this nation through dialogue. We continue to dialogue with God and call upon the Holy Spirit to provide the guidance we as mortals need so much.

We pray for our Heads of Churches and Officers who represent us in the dialogue to be given wisdom that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. We also offer ourselves in support of the great work that you are carrying out by uniting the nation. Should you wish to call upon our wisdom in your mediation efforts, we are available to join you. We wish you to know that we will pray without ceasing until God hears our prayer.

We are pleased to inform you that we recently participated at the AU pre-summit meeting held in Egypt in June, during which we made recommendations on gender issues, including the inclusion of women in important decision making foras.

We were also represented at the recently held UN Human Rights Council side event in Geneva. Among other issues, we discussed how violence against women impacted negatively on society as a whole and the need to address the problem seriously.

Above all, we wish you to know that the Christian Women of Zimbabwe are actively involved in the pursuit of peace in this country. Please do inform us of any new developments in peace efforts being made on our behalf by the Churches.

Related Links

• World YWCA and WSCF mark Zimbabwe 'elections' with a peace vigil outside United Nations
• YWCA of Zimbabwe targeted by youth militia as crisis deepens
• Zimbabweans share grim reality at Human Rights Council
• Churches worldwide asked to pray for Zimbabwe
• Its an Emergency: Stop the Violence and Protect Women and Girls Now
• Women and Girls Live with Intimidation as Zimbabwe Teeters on the Edge