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Stephen Mpofu, Perspective
THE holy institution introduced and inaugurated by God the Almighty himself when He presented Eve to Adam as his “helper” in the Garden of Eden, thereby introducing human procreation appears seriously under siege by the devil if reports in recent days are anything to go by.

Communication media, print and a local private radio station, had field days a few days ago on reports to the effect that divorce cases in Bulawayo and Gweru rose last year by three digits with those in the capital city, Harare increasing to four digits, suggesting that other urban centres might also have witnessed increases in marriage breakages — the statistics painting a gloomy picture of the stability of families should immediate remedial action not be taken to restore stability in the longest tradition known to humanity.

A senior church leader in Bulawayo suggested that economic distress, obviously caused by illegal western sanctions, contributed to breakups especially in marriages where families did not enjoy the advisory and religious support of the church, so that the devil had the leeway to cause havoc.

The man of God, who preferred anonymity, added that the migration of Zimbabweans to seek greener economic pastures in the diaspora, leaving behind families without adequate economic, social and spiritual support by the Church must also be contributing to breakages in families that resorted to other sources of subsistent living thereby making marriages virtual make-believe institutions.

A senior teacher at a mission church school in Masvingo Province supported the important role that the church played in stabilising families, as mentioned by the Bulawayo church leader.

Also preferring to be unnamed, the teacher said his church preached God’s need for family stability, something that augured well for family unity and stability.

He added that he and fellow workers kept their ears to the ground and could say rural areas were “quiet” in as far as divorces went.

That remark suggested that marriages in the villages enjoyed and were anchored by communal and traditional support.

Back to the urban setup, a panellist on a radio discussion about increased divorce cases suggested the “normalisation of cohabitation” as a way forward since that form of a marital setup did not bind spouses to rely solely on each other for the support and upkeep of their families.

But, surely, God should not be expected by anyone to be breaking a smile at those who thumb their noses at the institution that He, the holy ONE in Heaven created for the procreation of His images and likenesses on His earth.

The increasing abuse of drugs and substances by children with those attending school also caught in the devil’s net should be viewed by all as a shrill call for the powers-that-be to take appropriate measures for restoring stability unity and love in families if Zimbabweans have to defend the peace and stability that the revolution restored to our motherland after years of racist colonial rule and deprivation of the rights of those that God placed in this land in the first place.

Marriage

Parents must be obligated by law to raise children who fear God and therefore avoid delinquent acts such as drunkenness, drug and substance abuse which has seen some of them expelled from school to reap gloom in life.

Parents in the first instance, and the country’s governmental powers at any period in the history of our motherland must unite to nurture children who will be leaders of tomorrow so that our country enjoys brave new futures politically economically and socially.

Thus, no other people but ourselves, Zimbabweans, must do and write our own success story as a people until God’s angel blows the trumpet to bring the curtain down on a world otherwise riven by sin, trials and tribulations.

To cap this discourse all up, marriage should remain the holy matrimony that God intended it to be with its offspring immortalised in the same mettle.