VICE President Inonge Wina has bemoaned the low turnout of people obtaining voters’ cards in the ongoing mobile voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Ms Wina said the number of people that obtained voters cards between September 14 and 27 this year, indicate a lower than expected turnout.

Based on projections of would be 18 year olds’ next year by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), ECZ has targeted to register 1.7 million new voters and as at September 27, only 301,103 people countrywide had obtained voters cards.

Ms Wina said, after presenting a ministerial statement to Parliament on the status of the exercise, that she was particularly worried with the low turnout of the female folk in the process.

She was responding to Nchanga Member of Parliament (MP) Wylbur Simuusa who had asked a follow-up question on Government’s position regarding the worrisome figures.

“There is apparent apathy from the community and this could be attributed to the reason that maybe our people are losing interest in politicians.

“But let me state that it is the duty of MPs to sensitise the people, particularly youths, on the need to possess a national registration and voters card,” she said.

Ms Wina disclosed that K124 million had so far been disbursed for the exercise which is expected to gobble up K475 million.

She said K315 million would be spent the current exercise ending next month while K160 would be used on the exercise which will last a fortnight in March next year.

Meanwhile, the House heard that some people masquerading as patriotic front (PF) cadres were illegally grabbling land from innocent citizens to tarnish the image of the ruling Party.

Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said it had been established that these were the same people illegally demarcating land under the guise of being PF cadres.

Mr Kambwili was responding to Mafinga MP Catherine Namugala who alleged that PF cadres were behind the rampant cases of illegal land allocation in Lusaka.

Ms Namugala had asked a follow up question to the Ministry of Lands after Mazabuka Central MP Garry Nkombo queried if the Government was aware of a citizen who lost their life while battling for his land from suspected party cadres in Lusaka West.

In another development, Health deputy minister Chitalu Chilufya said the Government was investigating the presence of an insect that is allegedly terrorising human and animal life along the Great East road.

Dr Chilufya was responding to Chipata Central MP Reuben Mtolo who asked whether Government was aware of the deadly insect which transmits a disease.

“We have a team of experts including etymologists assessing the severity of this situation and once available, the outcome of the investigations will be made public,” Dr Chilufya said.

SECRETARY to Cabinet Rowland Msiska has directed that all bars and other public places of entertainment should remain closed between 06:00 hours and 18:00 hours during the Day of prayer and fasting on October 18.

Dr Msiska said clergymen should lead their congregations in prayer for the nation and called on all citizens to spend time in prayer and fasting at their places of worship and churches.

“All forms of entertainment nature shall be suspended during the period when Zambians dedicate the day as a solemn fast in response to the social and economic challenges,” he said.

Dr Msiska said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that President Edgar Lungu had stated that as a Christian Nation, Zambians were reminded of what God had promised in His words.

“On this basis, the President has called upon all Zambians to, with a deep sense of shame, repentant sorrow, and deep reverence; unite in humbling ourselves before the most high God, in confessing our individual and national sins.

“Ask Him to remove from our hearts that pride of opinion which would compel us to continue in the wrong for the sake of consistency and desire to be applauded by men rather than God,” he said.

The Head of State has also called on Zambians to restore the friendship and goodwill which prevailed in former days among the people of all provinces and tribes in the country.

“Let our fervent prayers rise to His throne that He would remember us in this hour, as he did our fathers in time past and preserve our peace, freedom and unity, and bless the works of ours hands for generations to come,” Dr Msiska said.

THE High Commission of Zambia to South Africa wishes to advise Zambians travelling between Zambia and South Africa to take note of the new South African immigration laws which came into effect following the recent amendment of South Africa’s Immigration Act.

South Africa recently amended its Immigration Act which was subsequently signed into law by President Jacob Zuma on 16th May, 2014.

The advisory follows an incident in which seven members of the Zambia Under 20 Women National Soccer team were prevented from proceeding beyond the immigration check point at Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The seven who had arrived with other team members on the 9:20 hours flight from Lusaka, were allowed to proceed six hours later after the High Commission had engaged the South African Home Affairs authorities.

The seven are Ngambo Musole, Melan Mulenga, Rodah Chileshe, Barbara Banda, Martha Tembo, Hellen Chanda and Penelope Mulumbwa. They could not be allowed to proceed after they were found to be below 18 years.

The 18 players and eight officials are in South Africa for a return leg of the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Zambia’s High Commissioner – Designate to South Africa, His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Mwamba advised that all those intending to travel should take time to consult extensively on the new immigration laws.

“Let’s devote a bit more time to learn what these laws require of us before we set off on our journey. People can even contact us at the Mission so that we can help translate the meaning of these laws,” Mr. Mwamba said.

As of 1st October, 2014, parents or any adult travelling with children under the age of 18 years are required to produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents of the child. Provision is also made for one parent travelling with a child and where one parent or both parents are deceased or the child is travelling with a relative or another person. Certified copies of unabridged birth certificates and parental consent, where applicable, will be acceptable when travelling with children.

South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs officially disclosed the new laws to the diplomatic corps at a briefing held on 9th July, 2014 in Pretoria. The Amended Immigration Amendment Acts of 2007 and 2011 came into effect on 26th May, 2014.

Under the new law, Zambia’s exemption from the Visa requirement list has continued and as such nationals travelling to South Africa would be granted a visitors permit at the port of entry for a maximum period of 90 days per annum as has been the case in the past.

Further, under the new law, Visa status application period was changed from 30 to 60 days before the expiry of the current visa. One cannot change from a visitor’s Visa to a different type of Visa or Permit without first exiting South Africa. Applications for change of conditions or long stay Permits other than visitors’ are now made at a South African Mission abroad – i.e. South African High Commission or Consulate.

Previously, nationals could apply for a Temporary Residence Permit whilst using a Visitor’s Visa but the amended law now prohibits foreigners from applying for a Temporary Residence Permit while still in South Africa.

As for Business Visa requirements, applicants are now required to get a letter of recommendation from the Department of Trade and Industry, confirmation from a Chartered Accountant on either capacity to pay pledged capital or actual contribution of capital into a business.

The new law also requires that a foreign applicant makes an undertaking to employ 60 percent of South African nationals in the business once in operation. The Business Visas will only be granted for a renewable three-year period.

The Quota and Exceptional Skills Work Permits have been replaced with the Critical Skills Permit which were expected to provide a more rigorous process of proving that only critical skills qualify for work permits in South Africa. Organisations have to provide proof that all necessary measures were taken in recruitment including evidence of a published national media advert seeking the required skills among the South African nationals. This would be used as part of the proof in showing that all necessary effort was applied in justifying the use of foreign skills.

This change in the Skills Visa requirement would, however, not apply to Diplomats and foreign missions in their employment of personal servants from their countries as their applications will be expressly processed through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

The employee applying for an Inter-Company Visa, that is working for a company with branches abroad, needs to be employed with the foreign office for not less than six months before being eligible for transfer to South Africa. The Visa is now available for four years after which the foreign national will have to exit the country.

The new law also came with steep increases in administrative fines that are imposed on those who overstay and any other persons in contravention of the new Immigration Act.
When one’s Visa has expired, they are labelled “Undesirable Persons” before facing a limited ban from re-entering South Africa for periods of one, two or five years. Immigration officers at ports of entry or exit have now been empowered to ban foreigners on grounds of over-staying even for a mere two days.

Those found to have over-stayed by two to five days will be declared “Undesirable Persons” for one year. Those over-staying up to 30 days will be banned for 24 months.
The South African Government has justified the new measures as being informed by the need for the country’s laws to be in line with international immigration standards, improve national security and to curb the high incidences of abuse of the previous Immigration Act.

The Women for Change (WfC) has welcomed the appointment of Vice President Inonge Wina as Minister for National Planning.

Meanwhile, the WfC has called on President Edgar Lungu to appoint women for the remaining ministerial positions in order to address the wide gender inequality gap in the Zambian Cabinet.

WfC Executive Director Lumba Siyanga said Mrs. Wina suits the position and the move because it will ensure gender responsive planning in Zambia.

“The appointment of Her Honour Mrs. Wina, Vice President of Zambia to the position of Minister of National Planning is a welcome move because it will ensure gender responsive planning in Zambia,” Ms. Siyanga said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Siyanga has expressed displeasure at what she termed ‘continued stereotyping of women’ which is evident in allegations by some sections of society that the Vice President is too old for the task.

In a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Ms. Siyanga said such allegations were highly gender insensitive considering that there were many old male politicians in Zambia.

She observed that there were no such remarks attributed to the men fork.

She reiterated there was need for everyone to promote a society where there is gender equality.

“We commend all efforts aimed at achieving equal representation in decision making positions,” she said.

This week, President Edgar Lungu appointed Vice President Mrs. Inonge Wina as Minister for National Planning in addition to her current portfolio.

The Head of State also elevated Steven Kampyongo and Greyford Monde to positions of full cabinet ministers.

Mr. Lungu further appointed Patriotic Front (PF) Chawama Member of Parliament Lawrence Sichalwe as Deputy Minister in the Office of the Vice President.

Mr. Kampyongo is the new Minister of Local Government and Housing taking over from Dr. John Phiri who has been moved to the Ministry of General Education in the same capacity while Mr. Monde is the new Minister for Fisheries and Livestock.

Zambia Open University, Vice Chancellor, Mutale Musonda has urged institutions offering distance learning to adopt information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to effectively support and reduce challenges faced in accessing educational materials.

Professor Musonda said distance learning can be made easy through adopting and deploying innovative ICT platforms that can easily facilitate the efficiency and cost effective delivery of educational resources.

He said this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the US$650, 000 digital platform capacity building project between Zambia Open University, Southern Africa Telecentre Network and Library and Information Association of Zambia.

The MoU is aimed at improving service delivery in education and agricultural services through access to information and communication technology (ICT) in rural parts of the country.

Prof. Musonda said the three year project is designed as a multi-purpose ICT rural service that will provide services to people in rural areas through the use of ICTs via mobile and broadband internet communication services.

He stated that the project will also create opportunities for rural farmers to access information from the telecentres to help support improved service delivery in the agriculture sector.

And Southern Africa Telecentre Network Regional Facilitator, Dean Mulozi said the use of ICTs will improve the lives of people in rural areas as they lag behind in this sector.

Mr. Mulozi said the project will not only help students on distance learning with Zambia Open University but will also benefit local people in rural districts of Zambia who had no access to ICTs in the education, agriculture and health sectors.

And Library and Information Association of Zambia president, Valenasi Musanje said the association aims at ensuring that many Zambian have access to ICTs by promoting their usage especially in rural parts of the country.

The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) says details and specifics of what the country will be repenting about during the national day of prayer and fasting on 18th October are crucial for the day of repentance to be meaningful.

A Pastoral letter issued today by CCZ General Secretary Reverend Suzanne Matale and CCZ President Dr Alfred Kalembo, says while it is it is very commendable that the Zambian government now wants to take even the social and economic crisis in which they find themselves, to God, by encouraging the nation to this Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer,there is need to go into details, not just about the occasion for a day of repentance, such as the social and economic crisis, but as well and especially about what it is that the country is repenting for.
Without such details the letter reads, repentance’ becomes an empty term, it does not mean anything anymore. If you remove the details, nothing is left of this so-called repentance.

The CCZ said that while the proclamation of the Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer calls for the people of Zambia to confess individual and national sins, in fasting and prayer, to make the day of repentance meaningful it is imperative to specify this, both individually and as a nation.

The CCZ said that doing social justice is the kind of fasting that the Lord has chosen as true fasting

The church mother body advised Zambians not to take the text from Chronicles about the nation humbling itself in praying and fasting,that is quoted in the President’s proclamation out of context but that it should be read within the broader context.

The CCZ said there is need to follow the Bible in taking this critical and nuanced stance by reading the text like that from Chronicles side by side with for example the witness of the prophet Micah about sacrifice and of the prophet Isaiah about true fasting.

The CCZ said that doing social justice is the kind of fasting that the Lord has chosen as true fasting, adding that connected to true fasting is also a promise.The CCZ explained that for God’s promise of light and healing to quickly appear after fasting, those in leadership must be people who demonstrate righteousness, humility and proven hard work on behalf of communities.

Below is the Pastoral Letter

8th October, 2015

BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE DAY OF REPENTANCE, FASTING AND PRAYER 18TH OCTOBER, 2015

Background

This pastoral letter is written by the Heads of Churches to all their members, affiliate member organisations, all citizens of Zambia following the proclamation made by the President Edgar Chagwa Lungu declaring 18th October, 2015 as a day of National Repentance, Prayer and Fasting. It is a prayerful reflection on this proclamation and is offered for prayerful consideration of this call by all who receive this pastoral letter.

Our letter offers theological insights into the proclamation so as to give a deeper understanding to the readers as they prepare to be a part of this national call. We pray that the reflections contained in our letter will offer responses and direction from a theological perspective and moral imperative going forward.

Introduction

In his most recent speech for the opening of the National Assembly His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia, announced that he has proclaimed “18th October 2015 as a day of national prayer, and fasting for reconciliation, forgiveness and generally to encourage the nation to seek the face of God.” He did so after remarking that “Hate, bitterness, contempt and envy are evil vices that have no place in a society like ours. We are above that. We are a Christian nation.”

In the accompanying “Proclamation for a Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer” the President explains the background of the proclamation of this day of national prayer. Several country men and women have appealed to His Excellency to set apart such a day for “Repentance, Fasting and Prayer throughout the Country”, and it is in line with the prayer meeting held by the founding fathers of the country at the birth of the nation. The President appeals “to all the People of Zambia to assemble on that day, according to their several forms of worship, to keep it as a solemn Fast in response to the social and economic crisis.”

He continues to describe this crisis: disrespect, poverty, a weak kwacha, load shedding and general distress. He notices that even “the wise counsel of the learned among us” is not going to solve all of this, so “as a Christian nation” we should turn to God. He recalls the promise from the book of Chronicles that if God’s people humble themselves, God will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The people of Zambia are called upon to humble themselves before God, “confessing our individual and national sins, in fasting and prayer.” God is asked to remove from us “our pride of opinion,” which is connected to the “desire to be applauded by men rather than God.” God is also asked to “save us from the horrors of tribalism and disunity,” before closing the proclamation expressing the desire that God blesses “the works of our hands.”

In this reflection we would like to place this day of repentance, fasting and prayer into a broader Biblical/theological context.

Thanksgiving

In several places in Paul’s letters we are encouraged as Christians to thank God always and in all things (1Th 5:18; Ph 4:6; 1 Co 15:57; 2Co 9:15): our lives should be lives of thanksgiving. This places also the Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer, and its occasion, the social and economic crisis in which Zambia finds itself, within the broader Biblical/theological context of thanking God. It is good to keep this in mind.

In Acts 5 we read about Disciples of Christ who thank God even during a crisis. Peter and some other apostles are arrested for preaching the Gospel. An angel frees them, but in accordance with God’s will they continue preaching in the Temple, so they are arrested again. Peter declares “We must obey God rather than men!”, the text to which the President refers in his proclamation as well. Peter and the other apostles are being flogged, but they do not really mind. They continue to thank God. They even rejoice, it is said, “because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41).

Even in a crisis, even while enduring physical suffering, these disciples continue to thank God. People may have taken it to be a shameful disgrace that God did not rescue them, that God let them be flogged. But they themselves do not see it as proof that God has abandoned them, they do not take it to be a sign that they are no longer among God’s people, instead, they thank God even in this suffering: “because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”

This can encourage us, as a nation which has declared itself Christian, not to take the social and economic crisis in which we find ourselves, as a sign that God has abandoned us. God counted us worthy of suffering. We can still continue to thank God in all things. Even if we are badly hurt by the disrespect, poverty, a weak kwacha, load shedding and general distress in our midst, even if we hope and pray that this Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer will be part of a turnaround, of God lifting us up again, even then, we still can and should thank God, since our whole life should be a life of thanksgiving.

It is very commendable that the Zambian government now wants to take even the social and economic crisis in which they find themselves, to God, by encouraging the nation to this Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer. But what are we repenting for?

Repenting what?

In the famous play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, try to pass the time while they are waiting for this mysterious figure Godot. At one stage we hear the following dialogue:

Vladimir: Suppose we repented.
Estragon: Repented what?
Vladimir: Oh… (He reflects) We wouldn’t have to go into details.

But I am afraid that that is exactly what we have to do: to go into details. Without such details ‘repentance’ becomes an empty term, it does not mean anything anymore. If you remove the details, nothing is left of this so-called repentance. That is in fact the joke that Beckett is making here. Repentance should be for something specific, otherwise it loses its meaning. Both the surroundings, such as described above as our whole lives as lives of thanksgiving, and the specifics of what we repent about are crucial for the day of repentance to be meaningful. We do have to go into details, not just about the occasion for a day of repentance, such as the social and economic crisis, but as well and especially about what it is that we are repenting for. Our details include repentance against corruption, tribalism and nepotism. This will also mean identifying those who have stolen and deprived the poor of their basic sustenance, that they restore what they took. In Luke 19 we see that Zacchaeus when confronted with his own sin he asked for forgiveness and paid back all that he had overcharged people.

In the proclamation of the Day of Repentance, Fasting, and Prayer it is said that the people of Zambia should be “confessing our individual and national sins, in fasting and prayer.” To make the day of repentance meaningful it is imperative that we specify this, both individually and as a nation, it is imperative that we do go into details: we will be repenting what?

For, despite the biblical ground for a day of repentance and fasting, the Bible also teaches us to be critically reflect upon it, when we engage in such a practice.

True fasting

The Bible is the foundation of our Christian faith and religion, but the Bible was written within an already existing religious context. The Bible tells about how to do religious rituals: how to sacrifice, how to fast, how to pray and worship, but, most often, it is not instituting these practices as such. The Bible responds to an already given environment of human beings dealing with the transcendent. Instead of explaining why people should start exercising religious practices, the Bible found people already sacrificing and fasting and praying. Within that given context, the Bible critically discusses these rituals. It tells us about what is right and what is not within the practicing of religion that is already taking place. That is why, more often than not, when the Bible speaks about for example fasting, it does so in a critical way. Therefore, we should not take texts that tell us that we should humble ourselves in praying and fasting, such as the text from Chronicles that is quoted in the President’s proclamation at face value, but we should read it within the broader context of the Biblical evidence both encouraging and critical with respect to such a practice.
We should follow the Bible in taking this critical and nuanced stance by reading a text like that from Chronicles side by side with for example the witness of the prophet Micah about sacrifice and of the prophet Isaiah about true fasting.

Micah criticizes the excessive offerings that are taking place as if that is all that God wants from us. He asks: “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of oil?” (Mic 6:7). Of course, that is not what God is primarily focused on, Micah concludes, saying that God “has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8). All those rituals, all those ways of appeasing the spiritual world that humans were already engaged in, the Bible here by the mouth of Micah is critical of that.

In the prophet Isaiah we see the same inclination applied to fasting. Isaiah addresses God’s people who have been fasting and praying a lot. Just like us, they also had found themselves in a crisis, so they declared many days of praying and fasting as well, but it seemed to no avail. Despite their days of praying and fasting the crisis continued. So, in Isaiah we read: “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and why have you [God] not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?'” (Isa 58:3). Let us hope that we do not say so after our day of prayer and fasting. Isaiah continues, explaining: “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please, and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists” (Isa 58:3-4). Let us make sure that this cannot be said about our day of fasting, for, as Isaiah notes: “You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high” (Isa 58:4). Speaking for God, Isaiah continues: “Is this the kind of fast that I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed, and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” (Isa 58:5). Fasting is good, but not all fasting is good. Humbling ourselves for the Lord is good, but not all kinds of humbling ourselves for the Lord are good. That is what we learn when we do not isolate texts, but read about fasting and repentance as it is discussed in the entire Christian Scriptures.

In Isaiah God continues explaining what is true fasting: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isa 58:6-7). Doing social justice as best as we can, that is the kind of fasting that the Lord has chosen that is true fasting. And, connected to true fasting, there is also a promise.

God´s promise

Having described the fasting He desires, in Isaiah, we hear God continue with a promise: “Then, your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. […] then your light will rise in the darkness” (Isa 58:8, 10). For this promise to be fulfilled we need to address the issue of those who lead us. They must be people who demonstrate righteousness, humility and proven hard work on behalf of communities.

Of course, this is what we want. This is what gives us reason in the darkness of our social and economic crisis to call upon the Lord, that we humble ourselves, hoping God will forgive our sins and heal our land. But note, that God does not promise that the darkness will go away, not yet, no, our light will rise in the darkness. The darkness may remain, but our righteousness will go before us, that will be our light, whether God will lift us from our dire circumstances as well, is not up to us that is up to God and we should leave that to God. But what God promises us if we engage in this true kind of fasting, the fasting which involves sharing our food with the hungry, providing the poor wanderer with shelter, and clothing the naked, then our light will shine within whatever darkness we may find ourselves in. Just like Peter and the other disciples shone their light even while they were in prison, rejoicing and thanking God, even while they were flogged and treated disgracefully. That is the promise we can build upon.

We should not imagine that we can force God by our praying and fasting. We should leave it into God’s hands how to deal with our circumstances. One moment Peter and the other disciples were miraculously freed from prison, the next moment they were captured again and flogged. But they rejoiced in the Lord nonetheless, giving Him thanks in all things.

When we humble ourselves in praying and fasting, in the way that the Lord has chosen, then there is just one thing that the Lord promises, and that is that our light will shine in the darkness, the darkness that may yet remain for now. The true fasting and living His righteousness that is its own reward. Our circumstances we should leave to God, those are His responsibility, they are part of His mysterious council, but we should take upon us what is our responsibility. That is what this true fasting implies: doing what we can to bring about God’s justice and righteousness all around us. That is what true repentance implies: taking our responsibility, going into details, being specific about our mistakes, where we have let go of our responsibilities.

Part of the social and economic crisis is beyond our control, part of it is due to international forces, spiritual forces, and God’s mysterious will in all of that – that is not our concern, we should leave that into the hands of God, without imagining that we can force God in that respect, by a day of praying and fasting or otherwise, and thanking God in all things. We should, however, do what we can within our control. And dedicating a day to repentance might be good place to start anew in that respect. As long as we have the courage to go into details, to be honest to ourselves and to God and to confess where we have failed our own responsibilities (1 Jn 1:9).

We should leave to God what is God’s, and we should also leave to our neighbours what is theirs. That is one of the lessons we can learn from what we find in the gospels about praying and fasting.

Jesus on fasting

That the Bible as a whole presents us with a very nuanced view on fasting is clear from the Gospel narratives as well. Jesus himself and his disciples are not even fasting. And when they are criticized for that, Jesus answers that it is not fitting to fast while the Bridegroom is present, referring to Himself. This raises the question whether when we are fasting, we might thereby be signalling that we take it that Jesus is no longer truly among us. Putting that aside, Jesus often does not seem to be very positive about fasting. In line with the Old Testament prophets mentioned above, He associates fasting with trying to force God to bless us by our own righteousness, instead of acknowledging our dependence upon God´s grace. Like in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, it is the negative example of the Pharisee who claims that he fasts twice a week (Lk 18:12; Mt 6:5-8).

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus focuses on the risks involved in fasting as well. He says: “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have already received their reward in full” (Mt 6:16). The people criticized by Micah and Isaiah and the Pharisee in the parable, they try to force God by their fasting. Here Jesus criticizes people who use fasting to get something from their neighbours. You should not fast to show off your piety, to gain respect and impress your friends. God will not listen when you fast just to force Him, we heard in Isaiah; here Jesus adds that God will not listen either when you use it to force others. Fasting and repentance should be a matter between you and God, focussing on what you can do better to shine as God’s light in the darkness of this world.

It is important to keep this in mind, especially when we are “fasting for reconciliation” as the President describes it in his address to the National Assembly. In thinking about reconciliation it is particularly tempting to look at what the other party should do, how they could change to make unity possible. However, we should leave that responsibility be their own responsibility, and focus just on ourselves. What can we repent about? How are we blocking reconciliation? We can only take upon ourselves our own responsibilities. And it is good to dedicate a day to reflect upon what those are. Whether taking those steps result in actual reconciliation is not for us to decide. There the responsibilities of God and our neighbours come into play as well, but that is not for us. We should leave that where it belongs. We can only repent our own sins. That is true humility. That is true repentance, thanking God in all things, whatever happens.

Rev Suzanne Membe-Matale            Bishop Dr Alfred Kalembo
General Secretary,                          CCZ President, CCZ