Gandiya recovers most properties

By The NewsDay | Dec. 12, 2012 | 2 Min read

THE Church of the Province of Central Africa Harare Diocese led by Bishop Chad Gandiya has recovered 90% of the properties that had been seized by excommunicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga since 2007.

THE Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) Harare Diocese led by Bishop Chad Gandiya has recovered 90% of the properties that had been seized by excommunicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga since 2007.

Report by Everson Mushava

CPCA spokesman Precious Shumba said the Anglican Church had repossessed most movable and immovable property, including schools and church buildings, across the country and the process was set to be completed before Sunday.

“We have already taken over 90% of our properties and will continue to repossess them as the Anglican Diocese of Harare,” Shumba said yesterday.

“The church leadership across the Diocese of Harare is busy preparing a database of the properties that had been taken and placing value to all the missing and vandalised properties so that Kunonga will pay. Churches are also making contributions to pay the Deputy Sheriff to complete the takeover and we will recover the money from him as legal costs. We never stopped the evictions, but Kunonga was being unreasonable to resist the evictions. He was simply attempting to elicit political support.”

Judge President Justice George Chiweshe of the High Court this week upheld a ruling by Supreme Court judge Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba that stripped Kunonga of custody of the disputed church properties.

In his brief ruling, Justice Chiweshe said he had no jurisdiction to hear the fresh application by Kunonga and ordered the latter to pay the costs of the suit.

The CPCA has 72 properties, among them schools, commercial and church buildings — some of which had reportedly been turned into “brothels” during Kunonga’s tenure.

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Gandiya said he will hold a cleansing ceremony for defiled church buildings in Harare this Sunday.

Meawhile, NewsDay understands that Kunonga’s lawyer Jonathan Samukange will today file an appeal at the Supreme Court against Justice Chiweshe’s ruling.