Mnangagwa was never appointed by God and should be held accountable to the people

Addressing ZANU-PF supporters in Zvimba last Friday, Paul Tungwarara – President Mnangagwa’s so-called “investment adviser to the United Arab Emirates” – could hardly contain his zeal.

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He vowed to defend Mnangagwa “tooth and nail” and warned citizens not to “dream of toppling the President.”

His justification was familiar: “Leaders are appointed by God. If a leader has been appointed by God, it is God himself who will remove him.”

This refrain is not new.

It has been repeatedly echoed by political elites, traditional leaders, and even church leaders over the years – first to sanctify Robert Mugabe’s four-decade rule, and now to shield Mnangagwa.

It is a manipulative narrative deliberately designed to intimidate citizens into silence, discouraging them from demanding accountability or even imagining political change.

According to this logic, challenging the president is tantamount to challenging God.

That is not only false, it is dangerous.

As a devout Christian, I find such manipulation not only deplorable but blasphemous.

In any democracy – including Zimbabwe, at least on paper – it is the people who elect leaders, including the president.

Authority is not divinely imposed but constitutionally delegated.

Citizens are the appointing authority, and therefore have the right to withdraw that authority.

By suggesting that presidents are untouchable because they have divine backing, Tungwarara and others are attempting to replace the will of the people with a distorted theology of fear.

This is an insult to both democracy and Christianity.

Let us be honest: in Zimbabwe’s case, neither Mugabe nor Mnangagwa can credibly claim to have been appointed by the people or by God.

Their rise to power has been paved not by free choice but by coercion, manipulation, and violence.

Elections have been systematically rigged, opponents intimidated, state institutions captured, and dissent crushed.

Mnangagwa himself assumed power through a military coup in November 2017, hardly an event that can be described as the hand of God.

To call such a history “divine appointment” is to mock both God and the suffering of millions of Zimbabweans.

Yet there is no denying that the Bible contains verses that authoritarian leaders like to weaponize.

Romans 13 speaks of submitting to governing authorities because “there is no authority except that which God hasestablished.”

This text is often quoted in isolation, stripped of context, and wielded as a command for blind obedience.

But what did Paul actually mean?

Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome sometime in the first century, when Christians were a small, vulnerable minority living under a vast empire.

They had no political power and were often accused of rebellion or sedition.

Paul’s instruction was meant to prevent unnecessary confrontation with Roman authorities by urging believers to bepeaceful, law-abiding citizens where conscience permitted.

It was pastoral advice aimed at survival, not a theological endorsement of tyranny.

It is important to note that Paul himself repeatedly disobeyed unjust authority when they conflicted with God’s commands.

He continued preaching the gospel even when forbidden, endured arrests, and eventually faced execution by Rome.

The same apostle who wrote “submit to governing authorities” also declared, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Clearly, Paul’s call to submission was about respecting order, not about blessing oppression or silencing the fight for justice.

Those who twist Romans 13 to defend modern despots ignore this context.

They pretend Paul was giving leaders a blank cheque from God to act as they please.

In truth, Paul was reminding believers that while authority exists under God’s sovereignty, rulers themselves remain accountable to Him.

When authority becomes abusive, Christians are not bound to bow in silence.

That truth runs throughout scripture.

The God of the Bible is not neutral toward injustice.

Again and again, He condemns corrupt rulers and oppressive systems.

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights” (Isaiah 10:1-2).

Amos 5:11-12 rebukes leaders “who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.”

Micah 3:9-11 speaks against rulers “who despise justice and distort all that is right… who build Zion with bloodshed.”

Proverbs 29:2 puts it plainly: “When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

If God so consistently condemns unjust rulers in scripture, how can anyone dare claim that He installs and protects leaders who steal from the public purse, crush opposition, and preside over collapsing hospitals and schools?

To suggest that God endorses such cruelty is to misrepresent His character.

The God of justice does not bless the plundering of national resources for the enrichment of a small clique while millions languish in poverty.

He does not smile at citizens dying needlessly in neglected hospitals while billions are siphoned into offshore accounts.

Those who preach that God anoints such leaders are not only deceiving the people; they are insulting God Himself.

As Christians, we are not called to swallow such lies.

On the contrary, we are mandated to defend the poor and give voice to the voiceless.

Isaiah 1:17 commands: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

Proverbs 31:8-9 instructs: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves… defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Jesus himself identifies with the vulnerable, saying, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

These verses make it clear that faith is not passive.

It demands action.

It requires us to hold leaders accountable when they neglect or abuse the people they are meant to serve.

This is why the current abuse of scripture in Zimbabwe is so offensive.

It is not simply a misinterpretation; it is a deliberate attempt to weaponize religion against the very people who most desperately need God’s justice.

Leaders and their enablers twist holy texts to silence citizens, making them believe that to challenge corruption or demand accountability is to sin against God.

That is not faith; it is manipulation.

The truth is simple: Mnangagwa is not God’s anointed ruler.

He is a political leader, elevated through a combination of coups, flawed elections, and coercion.

Like any leader, he must be answerable to the people.

If he governs unjustly, he must be challenged.

If he squanders national resources, he must be exposed.

If he fails to deliver, he must be removed.

These are not acts of rebellion against God but the very fulfilment of our duty as citizens and as Christians.

The church, too, must decide where it stands.

Pastors and prophets who serve as cheerleaders for the powerful have betrayed their calling.

Their role is not to baptize corruption with holy water but to stand in the prophetic tradition of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos – confronting injustice, defending the weak, and calling rulers to account.

To remain silent in the face of oppression, or worse, to justify it using scripture, is nothing short of blasphemy.

The people of Zimbabwe deserve leaders who serve them, not rulers who exploit them.

They deserve hospitals that heal, schools that educate, jobs that sustain, and policies that uplift.

They deserve accountability, transparency, and justice.

To achieve this, they must reject the lie that presidents are untouchable because God supposedly placed them above scrutiny.

Authority comes from the people, and the people have both the right and responsibility to demand better.

We must therefore speak clearly and without fear: Mnangagwa was never appointed by God.

He should be held accountable to the people.

Anything less is both unbiblical and undemocratic.

• Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +26782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/