“The book also gives a reflection or highlights on the commission for justice and peace, when it was started after the Second Vatican Council; it reflects on the formation of justice and peace and its mandate,” Mr. Hororo added.
The book, he continued, “reflects on the Church’s response to injustice in pre-independent Zimbabwe (from) 1960 to 1980; and it narrates the transition from colonialism to independence, which saw the continuation of oppression under the leadership of a different color or race.”
The vice-chairperson of the Diakonia Council of Churches told ACI Africa that his book provides reflections “on the root causes of the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe such as greed, indifference, discrimination, corrupt governance, abuse of power and a warped ideology of nationalism, which reflects a great lack of spirituality and morality.”
The 283-page revised book whose Foreword was written by Wilfrid Cardinal Napier, Mr. Hororo said, unpacks some of the untold stories in the history of his native country of Zimbabwe.
He further said, “The book also captured a lot of the land imbalances, how the colonial power, at that time, managed to take land from the black community, then on the same issue of the land, after independence, and especially in 2000, when the government had imposed land acquisition, the same land which was actually taken by force from the white colonial powers, was actually shared among the political rulers, among people who have connections within the political sphere.”
In the third part of the book, readers are able to experience a sense of hope in a new dawn, a new constitution, and the desire for peace and reconciliation, the Durban-based human rights activist told ACI Africa.
“There is a need for an honest truth and reconciliation commission where we open old wounds in order to heal from inside out”, Mr. Hororo added.
In the Foreword by the immediate former Archbishop of Durban, the South African Cardinal says, “Until human rights and, in particular, the right to life and dignity of every citizen, are fully recognized and respected, the Church will join its voice with those who are decrying the current political, social and economic chaos, resulting in much inhuman suffering.”
The Cardinal who was at the helm of Durban Archdiocese till June 2021 further says in his Foreword, “May God be merciful and deliver the people of Zimbabwe from their trials and tribulations by bringing them to mutual acceptance, respect, and fraternity.”
Sheila Pires is a veteran radio and television Mozambican journalist based in South Africa. She studied communications at the University of South Africa. She is passionate about writing on the works of the Church through Catholic journalism.
