Burundian born-again leader Pierre Nkurunziza invoked God as he took the oath of office for his third term as head of state. He said God would crush those who continued to challenge his election.Although we have no objections to his faith, it is becoming a trend on this continent for leaders to justify their actions by claiming that God is at the centre of their rule.Only a few hours before Nkurunziza invoked the wrath of God, Grace Mugabe, wife of Zimbabwe's president, had said her nation's people should ask themselves why God continued to give Mugabe the strength to lead the country.It seems that we are entering a new phase of politics in Africa, one in which lip service is paid to God to justify extended reigns by the Big Men.We are encouraged by the decision of African Union states, the EU nations and the US not to be represented at Nkurunziza's inauguration by their heads of state.This sends a clear message that, God or not, the world is watching and will act in defence of the rule of law.It is important that leaders, no matter how close they claim to be to God, are isolated.The continent can only move forward if it is able to deal with despots who masquerade as born-again Christians.That is why we in this country should not allow religious zealots to occupy our political space.It is important that we maintain clear lines between politics and religion, and avoid fundamentalism.This world would be a better place if religion were given its space while politicians were allowed to govern.If the lines are blurred and God's name is used to justify political outcomes, it is easy to use religion to kill those labelled infidels.We hope that Nkurunziza will one day see the light...