HOW far are people willing to give up on their lives for religious beliefs?
This week a Zimbabwean couple in the UK is in the media, but for the wrong reasons, after leaving their baby to die without seeking medical treatment because of their religious beliefs.
The UK Independent (November 10) wrote: “Rebecca Kandare: Parents jailed for relying on ‘supernatural healing powers’ after baby dies of pneumonia.”
The Daily Mail (November 10) wrote: “Emaciated baby died with no trace of milk in her stomach after her religious parents left her with a woman who had ‘supernatural powers’ because their church banned modern healthcare.” 
Brian Kandare (29) and Precious Kandare (37), who live in the West Midlands, were convicted of manslaughter of their eight-month-old daughter, Rebecca, who died on January 6 last year as a result of pneumonia triggered by severe malnourishment.
According to a BBC news report, Rebecca “had one of the worst cases of rickets seen in a UK infant,” and the parents “attended the Apostolic Church of God in Wolverhampton which had strict views on modern healthcare.
“Members of the 20-strong congregation, who held prayers in a converted garage in the garden of a house, were encouraged to speak to the church’s midwife about their medical problems before seeking further help.
“Members could also be excluded from certain church activities if they went to a doctor without permission, the court heard.” (BBC News)
A policeman from the West Midlands Police said, “Clearly we have demographics of people living within our communities practising this sort of religious belief — putting religious beliefs before medical interventions and we must intervene in that and prevent any future deaths occurring of a similar nature.”
This is not the first time that Zimbabwean churches and African churches in the UK have been brought before media scrutiny.
Last year I wrote about a Zimbabwean church in Scotland which was also brought before media scrutiny, after one of their congregants murdered her five-year-old son.
In addition, I also wrote about how some Zimbabwean pastors in the UK were facing sexual assault charges preferred by some of their female congregants.
A few years ago I also wrote about how some Zimbabweans in the UK were being advised by some church pastors to dump their anti-retroviral medications for HIV and submit to prayer and divine healing.
I know a few people who are now departed because they took that wrong advice.
When one of my friends died of cancer three years ago here in the UK, she had also become a victim of some of these churches and she was made to believe that through prayer she would be cured of cancer.
In September 2012, Andy Dangerfield of the BBC wrote about, “Faith leaders across England in ‘HIV healing’ claims.”
He wrote about how BBC had, in London, ‘identified three people with HIV who died after they stopped taking anti-retroviral drugs on the advice of their Evangelical Christian pastors’.
TB Joshua’s church, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), which has branches in the UK was also identified as one of the churches involved in such practices, according to the BBC report.
Outlining the events leading to Rebecca’s premature death, the court was told of how “Rebecca had been a ‘healthy baby’ after she was born at home on April 22 2013, with no doctor, midwife or healthcare professional present.
“Mr Kandare notified a hospital of her birth a week later by phone, but never registered her with a GP.
“She was then seen on five occasions by community midwives or ‘health visitors’, when a weight of 7lb 14oz was recorded, but two offers of a dose of vitamin K were refused.
“Thereafter there followed a series of missed appointments for screening, health checks and immunisations.” (UK’s Daily Mail)
This was very sad indeed.
In Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has been battling with some members of the Apostolic Faith groups to convince them to take their children for immunisation.
In 2010, Dr Chimberengwa, the District Medical Officer (DMO) for Gwanda, reported they were holding several meetings with sect leaders to encourage them to have their children immunised.
Referring to a man who was refusing to take his children for immunisation, despite losing one to a preventable childhood illness, Dr Chimberengwa said: “The man is continuously reminding us of his religious beliefs which he is well-known for.” (Sunday News August 24 2010)
“He has declared that he will never allow his children to access medication as his religion does not permit him to do so.”
But lately, it has been reported in some newspapers that the Government of Zimbabwe’s repeated efforts to encourage the Apostolic sect members to seek medical treatment, especially for their children, is slowly paying off.
“We want our members to participate in the national immunisation programmes often carried out by the MoHCC,” said one of the bishops far back in 2011.
“Our teams will be touring parts of the country, visiting all indigenous Apostolic and Zionist church leaders to table all issues of concern that each church has been failing to address or overcome.
“ACCZ will also use this platform to urge all members to immunise their children.”
While the Apostolic faith members who lost children in Zimbabwe due to their religious beliefs may not have been prosecuted, here in the UK, with tough laws on child neglect, parents will be prosecuted.
Rebecca’s father, Brian Kandare, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years, while her mother (Precious) was jailed for eight years.
Reacting to the story, many people think that this is more of a cult than a church.
Ivy Kane wrote on facebook: “Awful religious beliefs before the health of your own flesh and blood?
“That’s not religion, that’s a cult.
“They have their own demons to deal with. Justice was served.”
Angela K, commenting on UK Independent post, wrote: “The ignorant and uneducated are ripe for superstitious indoctrination and this case is an example of the toxic effect.
“Religious belief is mental illness.”
However, another person, Phil, commenting on The Independent post, believes that the church leaders should also be persecuted.
He wrote: “Why (were) the church elders/owners not jailed?
“They obviously had control over these people and were ultimately responsible for them not going to hospital.”