Vice president Dr Constantino Chiwenga
By Lisca Philo
Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Retired General Dr. Constantino Dominic Guvheya Chiwenga, yesterday slammed scholarships offers aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community, asserting Zimbabwe’s non-support for such initiatives.
An organization advocating LGBTQ rights in Zimbabwe, GALZ, recently advertised scholarships intended to aid LGBTQ students pursuing tertiary education, a move that government outrightly condemns.
In a strongly worded statement, VP Chiwenga dismissed the scholarships and LGBTQ activities in Zimbabwe, urging citizens to reject the offer.
“The Government of Zimbabwe strongly and firmly rejects and denounces as unlawful, unchristian, anti-Zimbabwean and unAfrican insidious attempts by foreign interests to entice, lure and recruit, Zimbabwe’s less privileged but able students into Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activities and malpractices through offers of educational scholarships,” stated VP Chiwenga.
Former Health Minister Chiwenga emphasized Zimbabwe’s legislative stance against such behaviors, labeling offers based on these deviations as unlawful and criminal, undermining national values of Zimbabwe, a Christian nation.
“To that end, government sees such scholarship offers as a direct challenge on its authority, and thus will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to enforce national laws, and to protect and defend national values.,” VP Chiwenga added.
Dr Chiwenga also emphasized that Zimbabwe educational institutions will not entertain applicants associated with such values practiced in societies with no moral or cultural affinity with Zimbabwe.
“Our schools and institutions of higher learning will not entertain applicants, let alone enrol persons associated with such alien, anti-life, un-African and unchristian values which are being promoted and cultivated by, as well as practised in decadent societies with whom we share no moral or cultural affinities,” he reiterated.
VP Chiwenga stressed Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and unique values, urging eligible Zimbabwean students to seek grants and scholarship support from government departments, cautioning against succumbing to such offers.
The LGBTQ acronym encompasses “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning” individuals, representing sexual orientations and gender identities beyond heterosexuality and cisgender norms. The “+” symbolizes inclusion of other identities such as asexual, intersex, and pansexual individuals.
