Commenting on the precarious situation, the Rev Dr Stephen Orchard, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, said: "The Zimbabwe Election Commission owes it to the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe to announce the presidential result without further delay, to enable people to begin the urgent task of rebuilding their shattered lives and economy.
"We condemn the campaign of violence and intimidation that has been embarked upon by members of the ruling party, following the announcement of the parliamentary election results. We also believe that people who hold power in any country have a first duty to care for the poor and vulnerable rather than for themselves."
Reflecting on the escalating humanitarian crisis, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church, the Rev David Deeks, said, "The impact on the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans has been immense. The people of Zimbabwe appear to have voted for change and the leaders of Southern African states bear a huge responsibility to ensure that the will of the people is respected. If that doesn’t happen, the crisis in Zimbabwe could have an increasingly devastating impact on the entire region."
Zimbabwe Christians are requesting for prayers so that they can hold onto hope as the information blackout in their country enters a third week.
Since the March 29 elections, no official information has been released regarding the presidential contest despite heavy internal and international pressure for the results to be announced.
“Please pray for our leaders to put people first and not their self-interest,” said an unidentified Zimbabwean minister to the general secretary of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, the Rev Dr MP Dibeela.
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) released a letter by Dibeela on Friday relating the situation of Zimbabwe.
“We would also be glad if you could pray for us to not lose hope, because if we lose hope then we are finished,” the Zimbabwean leader added.
The opposition party in Zimbabwe, world leaders, and human rights groups have raised concerns that the delay in results is the work of President Robert Mugabe and the ruling ZANU-PF party to buy time to rig the election results in their favour.
