ABSTRACT
This chapter is a critical examination of the role that religion played in mediating peace during the Mugabe era. Presidential elections during Mugabe’s era were marked by extreme violence. It is after the 2008 elections that election-related violence appears to have reached the peak. The early-mid 1980s violence in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions had generated intense pain and suffering. Utilising the teachings within the collective body of the Pentecostals, the study unravels and critiques the sermonic discourses to argue that Pentecostal teachings on reconciliation are not practical and effective in Zimbabwe. This is because they have overlooked the traditional religio-cultural implications surrounding wrongdoing, murder, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The chapter, therefore, argues that in spite of the deployment of biblical passages to emphasise forgiveness and reconciliation, it has been difficult to foster the spirit of forgiveness among Zimbabweans.
