Zimbabwe’s spiritual story

Three months ago our team comprising Munyaradzi Huni and Tendai Manzvanzvike interviewed Comrade Julian Maodza Murenga Mukomawashe as part of the Chimurenga II Chronicles. Cde Murenga revealed six things that Mbuya Nehanda said should be done once the liberation struggle was over for Zimbabwe to prosper.

He vowed that re-colonisation was a big possibility if Zimbabwe does not handle its spiritual matters properly. This week Tendai Manzvanzvike (TM) interviews Bishop Oliver Chipunza (Bishop) who provides a Christian perspective to Zimbabwe’s spiritual issues which he contends extends to the traditional realm. Read on.

Tendai Manzvanzvike: I’m very honoured to be in your office for the first time. I was informed that there was something you want to say regarding the current economic and political wave the nation is experiencing.

Bishop: After observing what has taken place for the past decade or so, up to where we are now, and many other voices that are now coming up, against maybe the leadership of the country, I thought that I could contribute more on the spiritual side, not from the political side.

I am not a politician.

What people should understand when a thing keeps on taking place, time after time, season after season . . .

TM: It’s cyclical?

Bishop: . . . It then means that thing is spiritual, because a thing that is not spiritual is dealt with, and then people forget about it.

Then they go on to the next level. But we are simply saying the situation from the time we experienced sanctions, that’s when our economy went down, and it has never recovered. You understand?

So, that thing, when you look at it from a spiritual perspective, it’s spiritual, that needs spiritual fathers to work together with the Government in order to find a spiritual solution.,

It’s now going to be dealt by God Himself, because as a nation, on the last part of the preamble of our Constitution, we acknowledge God. We say our destiny is in God.

TM: Before you go further, maybe you should define what you mean by “spiritual”.

Bishop: When you say spiritual it means all our destiny is anchored in the spiritual realm.

Man’s life or a nation’s life is determined by the spirit realm. Most of our activities,whatever we receive here on earth, is first determined in the spirit realm.

Ndiri kuti inini, handigoni kuita chinhu ndisati ndachiroteswa. Ndiyo yatinoti spirit realm. Handigoni kuita chinhu ndisina a spiritual direction from God. This is why I wanted to go to the next level.

From the Christian perspective, the way we do things, the way we live is determined by the spirit world. John 3:27 says, no man can receive anything, unless it comes from the Father.

So, whatever we receive, whatever we do, God must confirm first. That is why as a nation, as I have alluded before, our preamble says, in God in whom our destiny belongs. The last part says: “And, imploring the guidance and support of Almighty God . . .”

So, we have enshrined in our Constitution that in hard times, in difficult times, in economical challenges, we are going to be helped by the Almighty.

As a nation, we must then be able to go back to the creator, regardless of our political aspirations, our political differences, for at the end of the day, we are all affected as a nation.

Number two, Zimbabwe is a spiritual country according to what I understand, and according to the culture of this land.

Why am I saying Zimbabwe is a spiritual country? I am saying so because of a political prophecy, which was uttered during the pre-colonial era, which came through Mbuya Nehanda — “Mapfupa angu achamuka” (My bones shall arise).

That political prophecy, or cultural prophecy is the one that empowered many people to rise against the government of Ian Smith.

In all corners of the country, you would hear people saying, Mbuya Nehanda said this — “Mapfupa angu achamuka”, that is, Zimbabwe must be governed by black people.

That’s the spirituality that I am talking of. It is that spirituality, that motivated many people to go to the war, and even politicians that are in Zanu-PF, and politicians that came out of Zanu-PF to form their own political parties, they cannot argue about this political prophecy. When the spirit realm says something, it then influences man to take certain action. That action was taken and we fought the war, and attained our Independence.

On attaining our Independence, we were then supposed to acknowledge, again spiritually, that Zimbabwe is now being governed by Zimbabweans. The nation was supposed to be dedicated to God. After the inauguration of the President, (then he was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe), the nation was supposed to be dedicated to God again — that is inform the spirits.

Spirits are informed that we have attained our Independence. Just like in the Bible, you would find people dedicating the house of God. But, that transition was never done. We are not saying politicians must come to churches and worship, but they are supposed to come and acknowledge that the country now belongs to God.

So, there was supposed to be a man or woman of God, who would do that simple service of saying that this country now belongs to God, because it is originating from the spiritual. When the spiritual realm has done her duty to targeted individuals, those individuals must then be thankful.

We commemorate Heroes Day, Defence Forces Day. That is quite good, but we do not have a Thanksgiving Day, where we have to say God, this is our day to thank the sons and daughters of Zimbabwe who heed the call to go and fight for their country in order to retain their sovereignty. We wanted to rule ourselves. That was our main reason for going to war. So, those things, Zanu-PF, from a cultural perspective and from the Christian perspective, they know that such things must take place, even in a normal set-up, that we dedicate back to God.

So, a Thanksgiving Day after going to war was supposed to be undertaken by the leadership of the country, to say we have completed our war, through this political prophecy, and that spirit was also supposed to be informed. I think the culture department of this country understands what I am saying. The spirit was supposed to be informed that Zimbabwe was now in the hands of Zimbabweans.

TM: Let me get this correct. You are saying that while the Christian leaders do this, the cultural aspect should not have been ignored?

Bishop: Because, there was a prophecy that was uttered. Before I become a man of God, I am coming from the Chipunza family. I have to do what is called divine protocol by informing the controlling spirit of the Chipunza family that God has called me, I am no longer involved in other cultural undertakings. I don’t just say, I am going. That spirit will say you have our genes in your body. The spirit in you belongs to God, but God gave us a mandate to reproduce ourselves. So, we have reproduced you. The body that the spirit of God is inhabiting, belongs to the Chipunza clan.

So, I have to make what is called divine protocol, the way that Abraham did, when he was coming from Ur of the Chaldeans — when God had called him. He is coming from an idol worship family setup. When he got into Canaan, the Bible says, he raised an altar, to clearly separate himself from the spirits that were controlling his father’s family — he is now being controlled by God.

This is basically what we as the nation was supposed to do, under clear guidance with good spiritual fathers, who do not have any ulterior motives, such that as we journey in the history of the country, you’d find that we would not be experiencing such things. Why I also say that Zimbabwe is a spiritual country is because Zimbabwe carries a curse.

During the liberation struggle, the then leader of this country Ian Smith uttered a political statement, which the politicians those who were doing the negotiations at Lancaster House, they did not understand the spiritual meaning of what Ian Smith said — Black rule, not in a thousand years.

He said, he believed in majority rule: this season a white man rules, next season a black person rules. So, he wanted this country to be governed interchangeably.

From a spiritual perspective, when we look at the challenges that are taking place, the church has not undone that spiritual curse. Politicians will take it as a mere statement. After the policy of reconciliation where Ian Smith was not taken back to the UK, he was supposed to undo the curse. He was supposed to say, now I accept or that I believe in majority rule, because he was the leader. He was the one who was ruling this country. So, we carry a curse.

When a curse then comes to a particular individual, it then causes economic hardships, marital hardships, social hardships. No investor would like to come to Zimbabwe because a black leadership in Zimbabwe has been cursed.

Even if you take away the Zanu-PF Government today, and put in another new black Government they won’t be able to go anywhere, because of this spiritual blockage that we have failed to deal with for the past 36 years, after attaining our Independence.

Every nation has got spiritual rites that she undertakes in order for her people to enjoy prosperity.

I was in the UK recently, and they had an anniversary where they called in families of soldiers who died in the First World War. It’s now 100 years! They were only trying to tone down the spirits of the dead – to acknowledge them. They are not worshipping them, but acknowledging that they fought the war.

So, Zimbabwe carries a curse. Demonstrations can take place, but they will never solve anything.

You cannot blame a person who is in leadership, when the nation is carrying a curse. We need to go back to the preamble of the Constitution, where Almighty God must help this nation. So, we carry a curse from Ian Smith. He did it.

If I curse my children, it will take them four generations (160 years), suffering. This could be our curse as a nation.

So, it’s very, very important that politicians, church leadership – I believe pastors understand how a curse can affect a family. What befell my ancestors, will automatically affect my life, regardless that I am a man of God, if I don’t identify that curse and undo it, then I will struggle.

These are some of the spiritual things that the nation has to look on.

Then the other things is besides the political prophecy, besides the curse, we went to war of liberation. Do you understand?

Thirty-six years on, we have never seen such uprisings – a young man criticising the Government. A pastor in the church, instead of preaching the word of God, he attacks the Government.

It seems all men and women of God are now into politics. They have diverted from the core calling of preaching the Word of God, ensuring that peace prevails in the country.

We are the people who must say no to violence, no to demonstrations because the Bible says, pray for your Government, but we are demonstrating against the Government.

It seems pastors have left their spiritual role. Not only pastors, more political parties are coming up. We will have numerous of them.

And the civic society, instead of fulfilling their mandate in poverty alleviation, they are targeting Government. Everywhere you go, people are against the Government.

If I was the Government today, I was going to take advantage of this situation and ask the Almighty God – why? Because we have said in our Constitution that the Almighty God as ensuring our destiny.

David had such a situation in 2 Samuel 21 where he had three years of drought. In those three years of drought, David never accused anyone, like what we are seeing these days. You will read newspaper A, newspaper B, newspaper D – it’s all about criticising the Government.

And the Government also, is criticising her citizens. That’s politics, but from a Biblical or Godly perspective, the Government, the leadership should ask – why now – people who called us darlings , who loved us yesterday – why is it that they are against us?

Go on social media, and private newspapers and for any newspaper to have sales, it has to attack Government.

So, if the Government would understand that they went to war, and that there are other promises that they promised to the existing war veterans and the fallen heroes, those promises, if they are not met, the blood of those who are dead, will continue to speak against the nation, just like the blood of the Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21.

David after going through three years of drought then asked why. And God told him that it was because of his predecessor Saul, who killed the Gibeonites, after God had agreed that they be part of the Israelites.

A person will die physically, but the way that particular person died will at the end of the day affect the living.

So, may the ruling party look back on what they promised during the liberation struggle. They promised certain things.

They also did not do what is called divine protocol – informing the spirits yevakafa kuhondo in unknown places, kuti nyika takatora. Akafa achiridza pfuti, saka kunyange akafa, soul yake ichiri kuridza pfuti namanje.

As a sidetrack, I once employed a war veteran’s son Akangosiiwa nababa vake, vakabva vaenda kuhondo, vakabva vafira kuhondo.

One day, mwana iyeye ari kumba, akangodonha, zvikanzi Bishop mwana adonha kuno, ndikati ndichauya ndomuona manheru, ndobva ndamunamatira. Akabudirwa zvikanzi, “Iwewe ndaona kunge unonzwisisa. Ini ndichiri kuhondo, ndichiri kuridza pfuti. Ndoda kuziva kuti hondo yakapera here? “

Ndichibva ndanamatira mwana iyeye ndikati, chienda undoudza vanhu vokumba kwenyu kuti ndozvaitika. And they did whatever they did. Mwana uye haana kuzombove affected.

Saka ivo vanofanira kuita inonzi divine protocol yekutaura kuti hondo takapedza. Mapromises vanoziva zvavanoita, sezvakamboitwa gore riya raana Cde Hunzvi when they were given something. If you look back, after that, our economy started to perform well. (Laughs and says, “I don’t know how you will present the issue!”)

Ini handina zvangu kuzoenda kuhondo, but I worked with freedom fighters in 1978 and 1979. We wanted to go to Mozambique towards the end of 1979, but that’s when the Lancaster House was signed and the war ended.

Vakanga vaita zvakanaka VaMugabe kuvaunganidza paCity Sports Centre. Dai vakaimba chimbo chavo chinonzi “Nzira dzemasoja”, zvandiri kutaura nhasi izvi, zvaibva zvabuda. Vaitobuda vamwe votaura vachiti matiregerera. Maregerera mhuri dzedu.

Divine protocol is not done with a lot of money. It’s not more than $20. We are not burdening the Government, but only acknowledging, once in a while.

Doing that, investors will come. Doing that, Zimbabwe is already a darling, it’s needed by everybody. We travel all over the world, they love this country.

But kunyange tikaisa mapolicies akaita sei, as long as we have not dealt with the spirit realm, you and me and the rest will die tisina kudya blessing inonzi Zimbabwe, yet it is anchored in the spirit realm.

So, they should do what David did. He consulted the Lord, and he was informed that it was the blood that was speaking against the nation.

Even with the blood of Jesus, we say that it still speaks today! Even if He has gone more than 2000 years ago, if I speak the blood of Jesus, my situation will turn around.

The blood of fallen heroes still speaks against this nation. Isu kumusha zvainzi munhu aigezeswa kana abva kuhondo, kuti mweya wokuhondo ubve. Isu hatina kumbogezesa nation yedu. (Laughing again – “Hamheno hako, ndiwe wauya kuno!”)

Continued next week