Abstract
Zimbabwe’s second republic, born after the fall of Robert Mugabe on 17 November 2017, has been characterised by many controversies. Some of the most important of these include claims that human rights, accountability and democracy are being disregarded, and religious leaders are acting as regime enablers to maintain injustice. This article problematises the role of Nehemiah Mutendi and Andrew Wutawunashe, the harbingers of the second republic. I look closely at Mutendi’s and Wutawunashe’s roles in the second republic, in the light of human rights and show how their involvement in the political matrix has the potential to disrupt social cohesion, stoke hate and misrepresent the religious mandate by assuming the role of regime enablers. I argue that, although religious leaders have a constitutional right to be involved in politics, their primary mandate is to promote morality and human rights, fight for the poor and marginalised and not to surrender these rights for the sake of obtaining benefits.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article draws from the nexus theology, religious studies, politics, economy and sociology. The article attempts to show how religious leaders in their involvement in politics affect social arrangements, economy and peace. Therefore, it is interdisciplinary in the sense that it discusses religious issues informed by politics, economy and peace narratives.
Highlights
For many Zimbabweans, who had longed to see the end of the 37-year rule of Robert Mugabe, 17 November 2017 was perceived as a new dawn
The coup to reconfigure Zimbabwe’s autocratic system and breaking from Mugabe’s corrupt and patronage-based rule (Noyes 2020), seems to have nothing new to show for the evolution of a second republic, because the Zimbabwean political landscape is still marred by political violence, militarisation and economic mismanagement
Just like the Mugabe era, the second republic has various actors who have actively assumed the roles of regime enablers, whose role is to ensure that political leaders remain in power, regardless of their failures, who force leaders on people through lies, propaganda and, where necessary, violence, which undermines the values of democracy and the rights of a multiplicity of voices in the political field
Summary
For many Zimbabweans, who had longed to see the end of the 37-year rule of Robert Mugabe, 17 November 2017 was perceived as a new dawn. Informed by the foregoing observation, it becomes very difficult to centre prophets like Wutaunashe within a space where their narratives can bring about a consolidated Zimbabwean nation because their presence in the political space lacks objectivity and moral standing, which compromises the role of religious leaders in nation building To this end, Kaunda (2017) argued that some Pentecostals lack an adequate political theology of social justice that would challenge the status quo of the wealthy and powerful and redirect the government towards promoting the common good. The problem of religion being used as a tool of political oppression by some religious leaders requires constant exposure, problematisation and challenge from all angles, in this case, by decolonial scholars who hope to contribute to achieving a better Zimbabwe, one devoid of political and religious enablers With this aim, the article engages in a struggle to achieve a world in which everyone can participate in democracy voluntarily, without being influenced by a few individuals who do so for personal gain. There is always a price to pay – for being a regime enabler and for agreeing and remaining silent about the abuse of religion
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