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How an Apostolic women’s group helped Zimbabwe counter vaccine hesitancy

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BY ELIA NTALI

When the first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Zimbabwe in early 2021, rumours and misconceptions around their development swirled. Vaccine hesitancy rates rose dangerously.

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The government activated awareness campaigns on all media platforms to encourage citizens to get inoculated against the pandemic virus.

But particularly in Zimbabwe’s Apostolic religious community, uptake promised to be slow.

Some 37% of Zimbabweans belong to the Apostolic church, a Christian sect that traditionally shies away from allopathic medical intervention, owing to a belief that illness has a spiritual dimension, and that healing is a function of faith. Amid an outbreak of infectious disease, that’s a dangerous position to preach.

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“Personally, I had fears, because growing up, we were of the belief that taking vaccines was getting the biblical mark of the beast. I am happy that our church leaders who had not been tolerating immunisation are now encouraging us to take our children to clinics.”

Rumbidzai Shayanewako, 32, mother of fourEnter the Apostolic Women Empowerment Trust (AWET), partnered with UNICEF, who  have conducted awareness campaigns that have created demand for the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and child immunisation.

AWET’s head of programmes, Hope Dunira, says the organisation engaged members of the apostolic communities through training that was centred on traditional and church leaders.

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“We embarked on a training programme that targeted traditional and religious leaders. The training was to educate the leaders to encourage their church members from different churches to access health services such as routine immunisation and the COVID-19 vaccine. This workshop assisted in getting buy-in and support from vital church leaders at national level.

AWET trained 52 District Focal Persons (DFPs) on all issues of COVID-19, in order for them to train behaviour-change facilitators on vaccine uptake, impacts of COVID-19, where to access vaccines, and how to prevent it. The DFPs were also responsible for collecting crucial community feedback and acting upon it. This helped build trust between AWET and the apostolic communities. The DFPs linked apostolic members to the local clinics so that arrangements are done to vaccinate members in confidence.

“We also trained more than 2,000 Behaviour Change Facilitators (BCFs) from the Apostolic communities responsible for awareness-raising campaigns on COVID-19, and promoting the uptake of essential services – inclusive of vaccines – from 52 districts, and eight provinces in the country. These BCFs have leverage in penetrating the church as they are part of the church themselves. Hence, they do not face resistance,” said Dunira.

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Rumbidzai Shayanewako, 32, a mother of four and a member of one of the ultraconservative apostolic churches, said she gained confidence after interventions from healthcare workers and non-governmental organisations.

“Members from Apostolic churches are attributing the lower death rate and the higher recovery rate to vaccination. Therefore the perception has positively changed for both child immunisation and COVID-19,”

Reverend Mathias Tsine, Federation of Indigenous Churches in Zimbabwe

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“Personally, I had fears, because growing up, we were of the belief that taking vaccines was getting the biblical mark of the Beast. I am happy that our church leaders who had not been tolerating immunisation are now encouraging us to take our children to clinics. This was changed by the education we got from various awareness campaigns,” said Shayanewako.

Reverend Mathias Tsine from the Federation of Indigenous Churches in Zimbabwe (FICZ), an ecumenical board responsible for regulating the affairs of indigenous churches, believes perceptions have changed on both routine immunisation and Covid-19.

“The government COVID-19 vaccination roll-out failed to get buy-in from churches across the board, not only Apostolic churches. This was as a result of the programme being sabotaged with biblical references pointing at the mark of the Beast – this was a pulpit message. Furthermore, there was widespread rhetoric and propaganda that the programme was meant to eliminate the surging global population, but particularly Africans.

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“It is quite pleasing that we managed to educate our religious constituency on the importance of adhering to the government call, and a lot responded willingly, given that the roll-out wasn’t compulsory. Previously vaccinations were associated with myopic views and speculations as was witnessed with COVID-19 – although the eventual results proved critics wrong. Members from Apostolic churches are attributing the lower death rate and the higher recovery rate to vaccination. Therefore the perception has positively changed for both child immunisation and COVID-19,” said Tsine.

He added: “Our outreach programs emphasised adherence and as such, the uptake has increased tremendously with some churches migrating from the traditional norms of not accepting medications for themselves and their children. It is through this understanding that churches are experiencing a reduction in mortality rate and congregants celebrated God’s hand upon the end of lockdowns after having lost a few to the pandemic as compared to other societies, owing to heeding the call to vaccination.”Gavi.org

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Hwange

Victoria Falls man arraigned for murder in water dispute case

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

A 38-year-old man known as “Spraga,” appeared in the Victoria Falls Magistrates’ Court last week to face murder charges following the death of a 17-year-old boy.

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The accused, who formal name is Tinashe Wireless Nyarukokora appeared before the resident magistrate Linda Dzvene.

The allegations indicate that on 12 August, Nyarukokora was involved in an altercation with the deceased concerning water access at the Victoria Falls wastewater treatment ponds.

The situation escalated in the early hours of 13 August when the deceased, returning home from drinking in Chinotimba, encountered Nyarukokora again at the same location.

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Reports allege that during this encounter, Nyarukokora assaulted the victim with a wooden log and an electric cable before strangling him to death.

After realizing the boy had died, Nyarukokora reportedly disposed of the body in a nearby sewer pond, approximately 15 meters from the site of the attack, and subsequently fled the scene.

On 16 August 2025, a worker conducting routine inspections at the treatment ponds found the victim’s body floating.

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Police investigations linked Nyarukokora to the crime after a witness reported hearing the victim cry out in distress, specifically calling the accused’s name, “Spraga, Spraga, why are you strangling me?”

The court has remanded the case for further proceedings, scheduled for 3 September 2025.

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In the community

Calls for youth-centric health services echo at Victoria Falls budget consultation

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Last week on Friday, the City of Victoria Falls convened a meeting with the junior council and youths at Chinotimba Clinic to gather input for the 2026 budget.

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The event sparked lively discussions on various topics, ranging from health services to transparency in project allocations, reflecting the hopes and challenges faced by the city’s youth.

One of the prominent voices at the meeting was Naison Mbedane, who passionately advocated for the establishment of a youth corner within the health center.

“We need a youth corner the same way that you are serving women, where they have their safe spaces to get help on health issues,” Mbedane said.

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He expressed frustration over the stigma surrounding health issues, particularly sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

“If there is a youth corner where I can talk to a young nurse in confidence, it will make a significant difference. Many of my peers suffer in silence and fail to seek treatment due to privacy concerns.”

The issue of transparency in council projects also surfaced, as Ndabiqondile Zwelinjani emphasized the necessity for clear communication in project allocations.

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Zwelinjani challenged the council to engage with youths at the ward level when distributing project opportunities.

“Let’s say you want to give 200 youths stands. Why not come to the wards and collect our applications? Development must be transparent; everyone deserves a fair chance,” he stated, highlighting the potential for corruption if the process remains opaque.

Lyle Magama, the junior council finance director from Mosi Oa Tunya High School, brought attention to the challenges faced by junior councillors.

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She noted the program’s noble intentions to foster future leaders but critiqued the lack of support and clarity regarding their roles. “While we conducted a few workshops, more guidance would have been beneficial. I believe future junior councillors should be provided with uniforms and mentorship to help them succeed,” Magama suggested.

“We faced setbacks due to limited knowledge and guidance, which led to frustration. We blamed the council for not being supportive, but maybe we weren’t transparent enough about our needs.”

A presentative from Youth Invest organisation suggested for council to incoporate programs that will be championed and fit into the youths needs on climate solutions after the city was granted a wetland city status as the just ended cop 15.

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In response to some issues especially of projects of 2026, the council’s chamber secretary Kholwani Mangena said: “Before concluding the 2026 budget, I suggest we meet next week (this week) to break down our goals. Let’s discuss what we want to achieve in 2026 and what we didn’t accomplish in 2025. We can identify tasks that can be completed within two weeks. I’m open to scheduling a meeting to outline our objectives.

Additionally, I’d like to propose that council members who aren’t re-elected can serve as advisors to the current council. This way, we can leverage their expertise and experience.

There are many initiatives that don’t require funding, such as career days for young people. Let’s explore ways to utilize our resources and talent effectively.”

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She said council wholeheartedly support youth initiatives, and is committed to ensuring that they growth as this is part of their mandate to nurture and support development.

 

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National

Tragic attack in Madlambuzi: Five dead as suspected mental patient goes on rampage

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

Police in Madlambuzi, Matabeleland South Province has are a suspected mental patient, Phamani Sibanda, following a violent rampage that left five people dead and two others injured on Wednesday.

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According to the police statement, Sibanda (43) allegedly attacked seven people in the village using a Mopani log, a blunt object, and an unknown sharp weapon, targeting anyone who crossed his path.

The victims of this tragic attack have been identified by their next of kin:

Elliot Khupe, 101, a male adult from Bellas Village
Butho Tshuma, 97, a female adult from Bellas Village
Constance Sibanda, 66, a female adult from Bellas Village
Tiffan Surprise Ndlovu, 6, a female juvenile from Bellas Village
Catra Matsika, 72, from Central Village

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In addition to the fatalities, two other women, aged 90 and 41, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Madlambuzi Clinic and Plumtree District Hospital.

The ZRP has underscored the pressing need for community awareness regarding mental health issues. “We implore the public to promptly refer mental patients to medical institutions for treatment and to actively monitor their behavior to prevent such violent incidents,” the statement elaborated. It encouraged community members to report any concerns to the National Complaints Desk at (0242) 703631 or via WhatsApp at 0712 800197, or to approach the nearest police station.

 

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