Victoria Falls, open-air churches strike deal

VICTORIA FALLS Municipality has said aside 10,000 square metres of land for open-air worshipping, as part of an out of court settlement with worshippers who were barred from the Buffer Zone, a green belt in the city. Last month, the council successfully applied for an order at the Victoria Falls magistrates' court barring open-air worshipping at the green belt.

The Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe and Africa (UDACZCZA) appealed to the High Court against the lower court's ruling. The local authority and UDACZCZA, which is made up of 25 churches, have since opted for an out of court settlement, a development that has seen council availing the land between Dadane High School and Oasis College.

Town clerk Christopher Dube told The Chronicle that council would give the churches time to move to their new base. "We agreed to allocate them land for all the churches under UDACZCZA," said the town clerk.

"It's a process and we've to create that land. They've to move but we'll be gentle enough and allow them time to wind up." He said those who would continue defying the local authority after the expiry of the grace period, which is yet to be announced, will be arrested.

UDACZCZA board member Anita Sithole said they would build some blocks while those that prefer open-air worshipping would continue to do so on the same piece of land. "We have finally been given land and our members will definitely move to the new site. The land measures 200 metres by 50 metres and we'll build blocks of buildings where all of us will worship from," said Sithole.