PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged Zimbabweans to skip “one, two or all meals in fasting” for the nation as he leads a National Day of Prayer and Fasting from the State House tomorrow morning.
The virtual church service will be attended by leaders of different denominations at the State House in Harare from 10am to noon.
The church service will be broadcast live on ZBC-TV, Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) and other online platforms.
Churches will be allowed to gather in groups of 50 in observance of social distancing rules, while the wearing of face masks remains mandatory in all public places.
Quoting from the Bible, the President last week urged all Zimbabweans to participate.
“The Lord enjoins us through His words to King Solomon in 2nd Chronicles Chapter 7:13-15, which reads ‘. . . if I send pestilence among my people, and my people who are called up by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and my ears attend to the prayer that is made in this place’.
“Standing on this scripture, I therefore proclaim 15 June 2020 as the Presidential National Day of Prayer and Fasting. On this day, from 10am to 12 noon, I invite the whole nation to join me and church leaders from various denominations via live broadcast on ZBC and social media streams for a church service which I shall host at State House.
“I urge you all on this day, to join us giving up one, two or all meals in fasting. It will be best to arrange to participate in this service as families, small groups, or church services not exceeding fifty people, and observing the precautions we have been taking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”
The President said henceforth, church congregations, which had been banned under the national lockdown, will be allowed to worship, albeit in groups of not more than fifty people.
However, Zimbabweans particularly on social media contend that they are already starving and cannot afford to have the three meals a day that the President is urging them to forego.
A recent report by the United Nations World Food Programme said that as many as 8 million Zimbabweans face starvation following two consecutive drought years and reduced levels of income due to inflation.
The hunger has permeated urban areas, where even subsidized maize-meal is hard to come by. – Zimbabwe Voice
