By Staff Reporter
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has slammed the LGBTIQ community and the Gays and Lesbians Association, for luring and recruiting into gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender activities by offering less priveledged students academic scholarships.
GALZ is running a scholarships program called Munhu Munhu scholarships. The program covers full tuition fees, stationery, accommodation and mentorship.
In a statement Thursday, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga stated that the government does not support LGBT culture and cautioned that both those offering and accepting such scholarships will be subject to legal consequences.
“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.
“Zimbabwe has legislated against such deviances, making any offer predicated on the same aberrations both unlawful and criminal, a grave and gross affront on our national values and ethos as a Christian nation,” said Chiwenga.
He stated that the scholarships based on LGBT status constituted a direct assault on the sovereignty of the nation.
“To that end, government sees such scholarship offers as a direct challenge to its authority, and thus will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to enforce national laws and to protect and defend national values
“Our schools and institutions of higher learning will not entertain applicants, let alone enrol persons associated in such alien, anti-life, unAfrican 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.
“Zimbabwe is a sovereign African State with definite laws and values which typify it, cutting it apart from other mores.”
Chiwenga encouraged deserving students planning to enroll in tertiary institutions to seek assistance from government departments responsible for awarding grants and scholarships.
“They should never be tempted to trade or sell their souls for such abominable and devilish offers,” the vice president said.