Zimbabwean houses of worship remain quiet amid changing COVID-19 rules

Churches with closed gates on July 26 on Gelfand Street in Harare, Zimbabwe. Photo by Tawanda Karombo.

HARARE, Zimbabwe– Gelfand Street in Southerton, a medium-density suburb of Harare, was unusually quiet and sleepy last Sunday July 26 compared to its usual bustle of activity on worship days.

Four churches and one mosque at the easterly end of the street overlook the big Harare Central Hospital. Just two or three residents from nearby houses fetched water from borehole taps outside the mosque, next to a Roman Catholic parish.

“They have a borehole here so we come here to get clean drinking water,” said Monica Rubata as she filled up a 20 liter container just after 11am. “Usually we avoid Sundays because church-goers bring their containers when they come for church but today there is not much activity at most of the churches because of lockdown rules prohibiting large gatherings.”

The challenges that religious movements in Zimbabwe are facing in terms of holding gatherings have escalated during the coronavirus-imposed lockdown measures announced by President Emerson Mnangagwa’s administration. The lockdown measures have tightened in the past week, limiting public gatherings for social, religious and political purposes, including funerals.

This brought to a complete halt some small Christian churches that had started to gather again for faith and worship activities. Police have enforced the rules by disbanding religious gatherings. Church gatherings had started to be allowed after Zimbabwe moved to a “level two” lockdown in June.

Nick Mangwana, Zimbabwe’s secretary for information, then clarified the government’s position, saying that “churches can hold services” under “strict conditions” such as limiting the number of congregants to 50.

“They should disinfect premises before and after each service,” he said. “They should have facilities to wash hands or sanitize hands, temperature checks, everyone is masked, physical-distanced sitting.”

Many churches are not taking chances though, especially after the Roman Catholic Cathedral in central Harare lost a staffer to COVID-19. Most mainline churches have remained closed, while some churches, especially the Apostolic sects, still try to gather. The government said police dispersed a group of 20 worshippers who had gathered in the southern district of Gwanda without following safety and health measures.

Father Frederick Chiromba, leader of the Heads of Christian Denominations in Zimbabwe told Religion Unplugged by phone that the death of a staffer at the Harare Cathedral had “made some people afraid even to begin to go back to church” after the relaxation of lockdown rules for churches.

“We are urging church goers to be practical,” Chiromba said. “If there are risks they should not engage in activities that endanger people’s lives. Other parishes and churches have closed down and this reflects the times we are living in.”

Other church leaders said the Coronavirus pandemic had disrupted church activities and plans to re-open had been put on hold after infections and deaths owing to the virus started to rise across Zimbabwe. As of July 31, Zimbabwe had recorded more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths.

There are however mixed feelings and reactions among church goers although a sense of fear has started to grip members of various Christian denominations in Zimbabwe.

“I have not been to church in a long time and I don’t think as things stand I will be going any time soon. I have an infant and a three-year-old baby girl and I can’t risk their health by going to church where we will mix and mingle with congregants from all over Harare,” said one congregant at a United Methodist Church in Harare on Monday.

Worsening the situation for churches and any prospects for re-opening faith practices and activities is the rise in local infections in the past week. Infections have been reported at supermarkets, banks, health facilities and government departments.

“We would want to open under the guidelines provided by the government but for now we are opting to remain closed because we can’t take chances,” said Batsirai Mayengwa, a deacon at a Pentecostal church in the dormitory town of Chitungwiza. “We are considering to use online platforms but even such platforms have problems because many people can only afford WhatsApp bundles and cannot afford data bundles for Facebook Live streaming.”

Zimbabwean church leaders have also been meeting government officials to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the lives of citizens.

The Ecumenical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) said in a pastoral letter released Monday, July 27 that “the Church in Zimbabwe has set aside 90 days of prayer” under which the nation is expected to “reflect, introspect and repent regarding the state of the Church, the nation” and the collective legacy built over time.

Pastor Blessing Makwara, general secretary of the EFZ, believes that member churches can use their discretion to gather less than 50 people while observing all other current prevention measures.

He highlights that the bigger picture of the restrictions was to save lives of congregants and communities, especially at a time when Zimbabwe’s healthcare system is failing to adequately cope with the growing cases of coronavirus infections without funding from the government.

“The bigger picture remains that of protecting lives,” he said. “We urge leaders of churches to review their positions with much grace and care for the church of Jesus Christ. Our healthcare infrastructure remains troubled hence we must decide with great caution not to further expose the people.”

HARARE, Zimbabwe– Gelfand Street in Southerton, a medium-density suburb of Harare, was unusually quiet and sleepy last Sunday July 26 compared to its usual bustle of activity on worship days.

Four churches and one mosque at the easterly end of the street overlook the big Harare Central Hospital. Just two or three residents from nearby houses fetched water from borehole taps outside the mosque, next to a Roman Catholic parish.

“They have a borehole here so we come here to get clean drinking water,” said Monica Rubata as she filled up a 20 liter container just after 11am. “Usually we avoid Sundays because church-goers bring their containers when they come for church but today there is not much activity at most of the churches because of lockdown rules prohibiting large gatherings.”

The challenges that religious movements in Zimbabwe are facing in terms of holding gatherings have escalated during the coronavirus-imposed lockdown measures announced by President Emerson Mnangagwa’s administration. The lockdown measures have tightened in the past week, banning public gatherings for social, religious and political purposes, including funerals.

This brought to a complete halt some small Christian churches that had started to gather again for faith and worship activities. Police have enforced the rules by disbanding religious gatherings. Church gatherings had started to be allowed after Zimbabwe moved to a “level two” lockdown in June.

Nick Mangwana, Zimbabwe’s secretary for information, then clarified the government’s position, saying that “churches can hold services” under “strict conditions” such as limiting the number of congregants to 50.

“They should disinfect premises before and after each service,” he said. “They should have facilities to wash hands or sanitize hands, temperature checks, everyone is masked, physical-distanced sitting.”

Many churches are not taking chances though, especially after the Roman Catholic Cathedral in central Harare lost a staffer to COVID-19. Most mainline churches have remained closed, while some churches, especially the Apostolic sects, still try to gather. The government said police dispersed a group of 20 worshippers who had gathered in the southern district of Gwanda without following safety and health measures.

Father Frederick Chiromba, leader of the Heads of Christian Denominations in Zimbabwe told Religion Unplugged by phone that the death of a staffer at the Harare Cathedral had “made some people afraid even to begin to go back to church” after the relaxation of lockdown rules for churches.

“We are urging church goers to be practical,” Chiromba said. “If there are risks they should not engage in activities that endanger people’s lives. Other parishes and churches have closed down and this reflects the times we are living in.”

Other church leaders said the Coronavirus pandemic had disrupted church activities and plans to re-open had been put on hold after infections and deaths owing to the virus started to rise across Zimbabwe. As of July 31, Zimbabwe had recorded more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths.

There are however mixed feelings and reactions among church goers although a sense of fear has started to grip members of various Christian denominations in Zimbabwe.

“I have not been to church in a long time and I don’t think as things stand I will be going any time soon. I have an infant and a three-year-old baby girl and I can’t risk their health by going to church where we will mix and mingle with congregants from all over Harare,” said one congregant at a United Methodist Church in Harare on Monday.

Worsening the situation for churches and any prospects for re-opening faith practices and activities is the rise in local infections in the past week. Infections have been reported at supermarkets, banks, health facilities and government departments.

“We would want to open under the guidelines provided by the government but for now we are opting to remain closed because we can’t take chances,” said Batsirai Mayengwa, a deacon at a Pentecostal church in the dormitory town of Chitungwiza. “We are considering to use online platforms but even such platforms have problems because many people can only afford WhatsApp bundles and cannot afford data bundles for Facebook Live streaming.”

Zimbabwean church leaders have also been meeting government officials to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the lives of citizens.

The Ecumenical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) said in a pastoral letter released Monday, July 27 that “the Church in Zimbabwe has set aside 90 days of prayer” under which the nation is expected to “reflect, introspect and repent regarding the state of the Church, the nation” and the collective legacy built over time.

Pastor Blessing Makwara, general secretary of the EFZ, believes that member churches can use their discretion to gather less than 50 people while observing all other current prevention measures.

He highlights that the bigger picture of the restrictions was to save lives of congregants and communities, especially at a time when Zimbabwe’s healthcare system is failing to adequately cope with the growing cases of coronavirus infections without funding from the government.

“The bigger picture remains that of protecting lives,” he said. “We urge leaders of churches to review their positions with much grace and care for the church of Jesus Christ. Our healthcare infrastructure remains troubled hence we must decide with great caution not to further expose the people.”

Tawanda Karombo is a Zimbabwe-based journalist covering development, religion, business and finance across Southern Africa. He has more than 10 years experience covering the region for local and international publications, including National Catholic Reporter and America Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @tawakarombo.