A local church leader has criticised the Bulawayo City Council for folding its hands during the ongoing raids by the Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) on open air worshippers, saying there must be a peaceful resolution to the issue.
Rocky Moyo, the Council of Churches in Africa leader, said there must be inclusive consultations about open air churches before individuals are allowed to take the law into their own hands.
“Residents have to be part of the solution,” Moyo said. “We are now having serious problems of political parties that go around chasing our people from their churches.”
Council has been pushing for a ban on apostolic churches from using flags, tents, clothes and different artefacts at their shrines, which he says are in conflict with the local culture.
MRP, a secessionist party, has gone a step father to raid the churches and chase away worshippers, which it accuses of polluting the environment.
Moyo acknowledged that there were issues that the open air churches must address, but said confrontation was not the solution.
