Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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Zimbabwe Ruling Party Blasts Archbishop
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C7EF4F:2AB91D3

Archbishop Pius Ncube called on Zimbabweans to rise against President
Robert Mugabe's government The spokesman for Zanu-PF Zimbabwe's
ruling party has dismissed calls for a peaceful revolution by the
people of Zimbabwe by Roman Catholic cleric Pius Ncube.







Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube, left, and people
from different church groups walk together holding crosses in the
street of BulawayoNathan Shamuyarira, Zanu-PF's secretary for
information and publicity, described the cleric, Archbishop Pius Ncube
of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, as "a well known rabid opponent
of the government."

Mr. Shamuyarira who was quoted in the state-controlled daily The
Herald was responding to the archbishop's weekend call for Zimbabweans
to rise against President Robert Mugabe's government after this week's
poll which he says is certain to be rigged in favor of the ruling
party.

Mr. Shamuyarira accused Archbishop Ncube of being a "mad inveterate
liar." "He however, fits into the scheme of the British and Americans,
who are calling for regime change and are feeding him with these wild
ideas,'' Mr. Shamuyarira said.

Archbishop Ncube told VOA that despite the attack, he stands by what
he said. He however doubts such an uprising can happen as according to
him, the people of Zimbabwe lacked the courage and the leadership to
stage a peaceful uprising. "Since the general strike in 2003 nothing
has happened," he said.

He however ruled himself out of any leadership role for such an
uprising saying that is up to the politicians to do that and the
church can only lend moral support. Archbishop Ncube has clashed with
the government over what he calls its misrule



The archbishop said contrary to government and ruling party denials,
he knows of families that cannot buy food from the government's Grain
Marketing Board, the sole marketer of cereal in the country for
supporting the opposition MDC.


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