Harare Anglican Church appeals for police protection

Bishop Chad Gandiya told a news conference on Saturday that Kunonga does not deserve the priest’s collar he wears and he was not a religious man, or even deserve to be considered one. “We are receiving reports that one of our church members was killed last week in Murehwa in matters related to the dispute we are having with the church group led by Kunonga,” Gandiya told reporters. He identified the deceased as 89-year-old priest Jesca Mandeya, who he alleged was murdered by security operatives. Kunonga was not immediately available to respond to the allgeations.

“As a Bishop I am concerned that some of my people are going to be killed for the simple reason that they belong to a certain denomination, “said Bishop Gandiya.

“We are witnessing the police taking sides with the Kunonga camp and preventing our church members to use church properties and facilities despite having some High Court judgements that we should be co-existing.

“One of our church members was murdered last week in Murehwa for reasons believed to be infighting in the church,” Gandiya reiterated. Bishop Nolbert Kunonga has strong ties to Zimbabwe’s President and Zanu PF leader Robert Mugabe. Gandiya said it was heart breaking tht Kunonga can claim to be a religious man while supporting such evil.

Although excommunicated from the Anglican church in 2008, after he split from the church in Central Africa in 2007 and gave himself the title of “Archbishop”, Kunonga still controls several buildings in Zimbabwe’s capital. He’s been a staunch supporter of Mugabe and has been richly rewarded for his support including being gifted with a farm that was appropriated from its original white owners. And now he is allegedly behind violence and attacks against Anglican worshippers in Harare.

“Our church members should know we are now endangered species,” Gandiya told the news conference.