News / Local
Police close major Bulawayo church, turns away congregants
22 Jun 2015 at 02:02hrs | Views
POLICE have closed the Apostolic Faith Mission of Africa (AFMA) church in Bulawayo's Lobengula Extension suburb and turned away congregants that came for prayers yesterday in a development lawyers from the church's rival camps said was illegal.
The police maintained that the move was necessary to save lives and property after law enforcement agents fought running battles with members from rival AFMA camps.
The church has since the beginning of 2014 been rocked by an acrimonious leadership wrangle with rival camps, one led by recently ousted overseer Reverend Tony Tshuma and another one which is in support of a take-over by Rev Clement Nyathi.
Lawyers representing the two camps said the move by the police to close the church was illegal.
Vonani Majoko, lawyer for the Tshuma faction, said there was no court order stating that the church should be closed.
Yesterday there was no activity save for police guarding the premises. The gates to the building were under lock and key.
Last week, anti-riot police with sniffer dogs cordoned off the area surrounding the church after church members allegedly assaulted a police officer during the skirmishes. The clashes left doors, windows and musical instruments damaged at the 5,000 seater church building.
The Apostolic Faith Church in Pelandaba was founded in Zimbabwe by the late Rev Morgan Sengwayo in 1955.
The police maintained that the move was necessary to save lives and property after law enforcement agents fought running battles with members from rival AFMA camps.
The church has since the beginning of 2014 been rocked by an acrimonious leadership wrangle with rival camps, one led by recently ousted overseer Reverend Tony Tshuma and another one which is in support of a take-over by Rev Clement Nyathi.
Lawyers representing the two camps said the move by the police to close the church was illegal.
Vonani Majoko, lawyer for the Tshuma faction, said there was no court order stating that the church should be closed.
Yesterday there was no activity save for police guarding the premises. The gates to the building were under lock and key.
Last week, anti-riot police with sniffer dogs cordoned off the area surrounding the church after church members allegedly assaulted a police officer during the skirmishes. The clashes left doors, windows and musical instruments damaged at the 5,000 seater church building.
The Apostolic Faith Church in Pelandaba was founded in Zimbabwe by the late Rev Morgan Sengwayo in 1955.
Source - chronicle
