HARARE — Zimbabwe will hold a three-day programme to promote peace and national healing, as political violence remains a problem despite the creation of a unity government, a cabinet minister said Wednesday.

"Incidents of violence are still taking place," minister of state Sekai Holland told journalists. "Zimbabwe is a classical case of a country coming from a conflict."

Holland is one of three state ministers appointed by the unity government to spearhead national healing and reconciliation following political tensions over disputed elections last year.

Co-minister John Nkomo said the programme from Friday to Sunday would focus on prayer, ahead of a more extensive reconciliation scheme still being developed.

"The people are expected to get together in various churches and denominations to participate," Nkomo said.

"May I say after dedication we will then proceed to unfold the way forward, but first of all we thought we needed to be guided by God."

President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to a unity government in February, nearly a year after disputed polls that edged the 85-year-old leader out of a majority win for the first time since independence in 1980.

The new government has halted the economic haemorraging that left the nation impoverished after a decade of world-record hyper-inflation.

But so far Mugabe has proved reluctant to accept major political reforms, maintaining control over security forces while pressing ahead with prosecutions of rights activists and MDC supporters.

By AFP

Comments(1):

1. Programmes are only worth in Practice.

   The three day peace programme remains to be implemented. The new Government of National Unity should demonstrate their intentions in principal and practice. Villagers are still being targeted by political enemies.The first step should be to stop any form of intimidation and violence. Secondly, traumatised victims should be comforted and compensated. Pepetrators of violence should be exposed and at least made to make public apologies.The dignity of Zimbabweans as human beings needs to be restored. Owen Chitsamatanga

   Sunday, July 26, 2009 owen