On Wednesday, President Mnangagwa established a 26-member Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) to advise and help him formulate key economic policies and strategies that advance Vision 2030.
The shortlisted advisory council consists of experts and leaders drawn from diverse sectors like business, health and social protection, agriculture, governance and human rights, faith-based organisations, tourism, education, minorities, ICT, civic society, communication and media management.
Chosen in to advise on matters of faith were entrepreneur and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) president Dr Shingi Munyeza, and Zimbabwe Council of Churches Secretary-General Rev Dr Kenneth Mtata.
Rev Dr Mtata, however, humbly declined the offer in an open letter, saying his current position as ZCC general secretary would limit effective functioning in the president’s advisory council, a decision that made him a subject of great controversy on various social platforms.
As the word humbly would have implied sincerity, he was both criticised and applauded for his decision, to his limited response of course.
Dr Munyeza, in the same manner, invited the same criticism when he announced via his Twitter platform that he has accepted to be on PAC. He came under fire that participation in PAC will make him complicit in the actions of the government, especially after its heavy-handed military and police crackdown on civilians.
The Watchman, as he is sometimes referred to as took some scriptural adventure and then tweeted:
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
2 Kings 7:3-4..“Why are we sitting here until we die?If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’the famine is in the city, & we shall die there. & if we sit here, we die also..”
Daniel 1:8,But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself
— Shingi Munyeza (@ShingiMunyeza) February 1, 2019
I have accepted to be on PAC.
— Shingi Munyeza (@ShingiMunyeza) February 1, 2019
After a Twitter user argued the Jesus never worked with Herod or Pilate (Roman rulers during Jesus’ time) to which Dr Munyeza responded:
This is what Jesus did:
Matthew 11:19, The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
— Shingi Munyeza (@ShingiMunyeza) February 1, 2019
As of late Dr Shingi has registered himself as an astute and avid political observer with his“The Watchman” series. In the build-up to the general elections, he ran a campaign on social media dubbed “The Christian Vote Must Decide” carrying along hashtags such as #TOITASEI #SENZENJANI #WHATNEXT and the “The Zimbabwe we want”.
He has also critically supported the regime when it does good while reprimanding it when it veers off the route of good governance.
During the cabinet selection process, he pushed for a small, gender and generational balanced, efficient and rotten-free cabinet.
In the wake of the January 2019 protests of fuel and state security’s clampdown on citizens, the business mogul condemned acts of violence, while calling for dialogue to end the political and economic dilemma in the country, as EFZ.
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