BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
and Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZA.N.U. P.F.),
that marked the birth of a one party state in Zimbabwe. That is, ZANU
PF enjoyed monopoly because the opposition parties of the day prior to
1999/2000 such as Edgar Tekere’s Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM)
did not pose serious threats to ZANU PF. During this period president
Robert Mugabe was exonerated as an excellent leader whose charges
were seemingly unquestionable. Even though the government had its
own short comings such as the negative effects of the Economic Struc-
tural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) most Zimbabweans still pasted
their hopes on the government of the day. Both in religious and political
circles Rom 13:1-7 was rarely quoted.
However, with the advent of a meaningful opposition party the Move-
ment for Democratic Change (M.D.C.) in 1998/9, this text started to be
the talk of the day. Orthodox ZANU PF “faithfuls” reiterated that Mug-
abe and their party was ordained by God, therefore there was no room
for any dissenting voices, every citizen was compelled to adhere to the
status quo. These masqueraded as war veterans, patriotic Zimbabweans,
nationalists and so forth. It is interesting to note that, most of these
political cadres who used this passage do not even know “the door steps
of any church,” let alone the pages of the bible. They simply adopted the
text from some eland church members or clergy who eisegete Paul’s
message.
This was the era of the so-called court prophets such as the self-
proclaimed and illegitimate Anglican bishop Norbert Kunonga, Rev
Utaunashe, Obadiah Musindo, Rev Andrew Malete and Elizabeth Chi-
nouriri, as well as the Johane Marange and Johane Masowe sects (who
always throng national events such as heroes and independence com-
memorations in their church regalia). They demonised the MDC as a
brainchild of the West and its allies targeting a regime change agenda in
Zimbabwe. Whether such allegations were true or false but one can
easily tell that such rhetoric was meant to authenticate the government
of the day as ordained by God and the ancestors. It is common knowl-
edge that many people in the 21st century are clamouring for a democ-
ratic society where everyone is free to express his or her democratic right
that include political association. Therefore, to claim that one political
party is sovereign and must not be challenged is deemed to be primitive
and undemocratic. We cannot smoothly apply Paul’s context as reflected
in Rom 13:1-7 because the Roman government was not democratically