News / Religion
ZANU-PF official causes mayhem at Church
22 Sep 2024 at 18:22hrs | Views
There was drama in Beitbridge at the Spirit Angels of God Church on Sunday where a former ZANU PF ward 4 councillor (and current party official), Aphos Ndlovu refused to be expelled from the church by its founder, Paul Simetch Ndhlovu.
Spirit Angels of God Church's founder, Archbishop Simetch Ndlovu had to read the riot act to his former bishop (Aphos Ndhlovu) who insisted he is still a bishop.
After serious confrontation the politician left the church in rage together with his wife and brother-in-law.
The church made frantic efforts to seek audience and engagement with the former Bishop who professed ignorance while assuming power from his previous position of doubling as Zanu-PF member and a Bishop.
In several letters which the Bishop was saved with, the congregants also copied Arch-Bishop, their church's representative regional board, Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) and Beitbridge municipality of their decision to chuck him out.
"The Spirit Angels of God Church appeals to the law to assist the congregation and protect it against Aphos Ndlovu and his wife, Pernitent (nee Muleya). They are harassing congregants during church services, insulting other church leaders, abusing church properties, unprocedurally making decisions without consulting stakeholders, insubordination to the Arch-Bishop, among other threats to church's well-being," the petition reads.
In a termination for membership and subsequent dismissal notice dated 26 July 2024, Reverend Nqobile Ncube who is the church Secretary General, Arch-Bishop Paul Simetch Ndhlovu and his executive unanimously agreed to relieve the Bishop from assuming his previous duties and responsibilities citing gross breach to the church constitution, insubordination, among other unruly actions.
"In its rigorous inquiry, which mobilised overwhelming evidence, the church's stakeholders (both external and internal) have ultimately instituted an independent panel of inquiry (consisting of expertise, authorities and moderators) to initiate several peaceful, conflicts resolution mechanisms, engagement and litigious frameworks which proven to a futility in the eyes of you as the church's former lieutenants," Reverend Nqobile Ncube said.
"Indeed, all stakeholders and supposedly means of engagement or conflicts resolution mechanisms have become victims of their innocence as they ended up being recipients of abuse, accusations, multi-faceted threats, among other deliberate deprivations," Ncube added.
"With regards to our church constitution, the decision to warn, suspend, terminate and subsequent dismissal was derived from several variables including unilaterally making decisions without consultations and seeking multi-stakeholders engagement prescribed by the Spirit Angels of God Church constitution," Ncube added.
According to article 5 of sections 2, 2 in sub-section 1 of their church constitution, to be eligible to be a member of the Spirit Angels of God, one has to (5.2) demonstrate repentance towards God and bear the fruits in keeping with repentance thereof, as well as demonstrate that faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ which produces Godly works.
"You violate this constitutional provision on several occasions and lied under oath even before the courts of law. This was absolute disregard and violation for the founding principle values of our constitution," Ncube cites.
The Bishop has also been accused of violating Article 6 under section 4 which stipulates that members should attend church services without failure (and what happens if they violate this article and section?), which further dictates that, members who fail to attend church services for four consecutive Sundays, without any reasonable excuse, will forfeit membership and cancelled from the church register.
"Closely related to this, you left the church for more than 13 years (from 2010 to 2022) whilst erratically attending church services and failing to report for duty timeously. Despite having Ndangariro Dube being left in custody of the church business (acting in that district as the caretaker), you dismally failed to report for duty (execution) on several occasions and discharge your responsibilities as expected for a leader (Bishop)," said Ncube.
"On several occasions, you disregard the request for meaningful engagement and independent conflict resolution mechanisms as evidenced by communiques attached to this letter as well as judgements by Zimbabwe's courts of law. Thus your miscarriage of justice and defiance is second to none," Ncube added.
"Church discipline is part of leadership integrity, accountability and responsibility. According to article 27 of sections and sub-sections 1 to 10, you dismally failed to pass the litmus test as expected for a Bishop. This article and all its sectional provisions have been violated timeously, hence we unanimously agreed to institute these resolutions and subsequent termination of your membership and dismissal from the office of a clergyman in the title and assumption of duty as a Bishop," Reverend Nqobile Ncube the church Secretary General wrote.
Meanwhile, the Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) has reaffirmed its confirmation of membership termination and dismissal communique.
"We do hereby confirm that the organisation has been served with several procedural communication documents from Spirit Angels of God Church leadership, Arch-Bishop Paul Simetch Ndhlovu, Executive Committee and congregants," Apostle Pauline Nyathi who is the organisation's Secretary General said.
"Considering that the church is one of our affiliate member, we deploy and dispatch some members from other independent churches to constitute an independent team of inquiry and observe some developments recurring in their Beitbridge assembly point. We also received several internal disciplinary and protocol procedural documents as stipulated by their church's constitution," Nyathi said.
"Amongst the documents include caution statements, suspension letter, petition from congregants, appeals for engagement, conflict resolutions proposal mechanisms, among other important documents as stipulated by their constitution," Nyathi added.
"As the Council for Churches in Africa, we operate within the confines of the law as prescribed and dictated by the national constitutions of the countries from which we operate in. We also consider and respect our affiliate membership's constitutions which mandate, oblige and prescribe or govern how its parties subscribe and associate/interact with its provisions," Nyathi noted.
"After rigorous interaction, engagement and consultation with our partners, relevant departments, legal infrastructural frameworks (internal and external) and liaison with the Spirit Angels of God Church constitution; we welcome the decisions and disciplinary measures applied in the ultimate membership termination and dismissal from church; including assumption of duties (relief from previously assigned duties) between APHOS Ndlovu and Pernitent Ndlovu (nee Muleya )," Nyathi said.
The Council for Churches in Africa wrote that it operates within the confines of the Cannon Law, which empowers it to endorse, effect and confirm all constitutional processes and procedures applied by its membership to institute disciplinary actions against some elements within the church who put the name of church into disrepute, violates freedoms of worship, infringe upon other congregants' rights, among other forms of abuse and malcontents including fraudulent activities, gross breach of contractual obligations or duties, among others.
Spirit Angels of God Church's founder, Archbishop Simetch Ndlovu had to read the riot act to his former bishop (Aphos Ndhlovu) who insisted he is still a bishop.
After serious confrontation the politician left the church in rage together with his wife and brother-in-law.
The church made frantic efforts to seek audience and engagement with the former Bishop who professed ignorance while assuming power from his previous position of doubling as Zanu-PF member and a Bishop.
In several letters which the Bishop was saved with, the congregants also copied Arch-Bishop, their church's representative regional board, Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) and Beitbridge municipality of their decision to chuck him out.
"The Spirit Angels of God Church appeals to the law to assist the congregation and protect it against Aphos Ndlovu and his wife, Pernitent (nee Muleya). They are harassing congregants during church services, insulting other church leaders, abusing church properties, unprocedurally making decisions without consulting stakeholders, insubordination to the Arch-Bishop, among other threats to church's well-being," the petition reads.
In a termination for membership and subsequent dismissal notice dated 26 July 2024, Reverend Nqobile Ncube who is the church Secretary General, Arch-Bishop Paul Simetch Ndhlovu and his executive unanimously agreed to relieve the Bishop from assuming his previous duties and responsibilities citing gross breach to the church constitution, insubordination, among other unruly actions.
"In its rigorous inquiry, which mobilised overwhelming evidence, the church's stakeholders (both external and internal) have ultimately instituted an independent panel of inquiry (consisting of expertise, authorities and moderators) to initiate several peaceful, conflicts resolution mechanisms, engagement and litigious frameworks which proven to a futility in the eyes of you as the church's former lieutenants," Reverend Nqobile Ncube said.
"Indeed, all stakeholders and supposedly means of engagement or conflicts resolution mechanisms have become victims of their innocence as they ended up being recipients of abuse, accusations, multi-faceted threats, among other deliberate deprivations," Ncube added.
"With regards to our church constitution, the decision to warn, suspend, terminate and subsequent dismissal was derived from several variables including unilaterally making decisions without consultations and seeking multi-stakeholders engagement prescribed by the Spirit Angels of God Church constitution," Ncube added.
According to article 5 of sections 2, 2 in sub-section 1 of their church constitution, to be eligible to be a member of the Spirit Angels of God, one has to (5.2) demonstrate repentance towards God and bear the fruits in keeping with repentance thereof, as well as demonstrate that faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ which produces Godly works.
The Bishop has also been accused of violating Article 6 under section 4 which stipulates that members should attend church services without failure (and what happens if they violate this article and section?), which further dictates that, members who fail to attend church services for four consecutive Sundays, without any reasonable excuse, will forfeit membership and cancelled from the church register.
"Closely related to this, you left the church for more than 13 years (from 2010 to 2022) whilst erratically attending church services and failing to report for duty timeously. Despite having Ndangariro Dube being left in custody of the church business (acting in that district as the caretaker), you dismally failed to report for duty (execution) on several occasions and discharge your responsibilities as expected for a leader (Bishop)," said Ncube.
"On several occasions, you disregard the request for meaningful engagement and independent conflict resolution mechanisms as evidenced by communiques attached to this letter as well as judgements by Zimbabwe's courts of law. Thus your miscarriage of justice and defiance is second to none," Ncube added.
"Church discipline is part of leadership integrity, accountability and responsibility. According to article 27 of sections and sub-sections 1 to 10, you dismally failed to pass the litmus test as expected for a Bishop. This article and all its sectional provisions have been violated timeously, hence we unanimously agreed to institute these resolutions and subsequent termination of your membership and dismissal from the office of a clergyman in the title and assumption of duty as a Bishop," Reverend Nqobile Ncube the church Secretary General wrote.
Meanwhile, the Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) has reaffirmed its confirmation of membership termination and dismissal communique.
"We do hereby confirm that the organisation has been served with several procedural communication documents from Spirit Angels of God Church leadership, Arch-Bishop Paul Simetch Ndhlovu, Executive Committee and congregants," Apostle Pauline Nyathi who is the organisation's Secretary General said.
"Considering that the church is one of our affiliate member, we deploy and dispatch some members from other independent churches to constitute an independent team of inquiry and observe some developments recurring in their Beitbridge assembly point. We also received several internal disciplinary and protocol procedural documents as stipulated by their church's constitution," Nyathi said.
"Amongst the documents include caution statements, suspension letter, petition from congregants, appeals for engagement, conflict resolutions proposal mechanisms, among other important documents as stipulated by their constitution," Nyathi added.
"As the Council for Churches in Africa, we operate within the confines of the law as prescribed and dictated by the national constitutions of the countries from which we operate in. We also consider and respect our affiliate membership's constitutions which mandate, oblige and prescribe or govern how its parties subscribe and associate/interact with its provisions," Nyathi noted.
"After rigorous interaction, engagement and consultation with our partners, relevant departments, legal infrastructural frameworks (internal and external) and liaison with the Spirit Angels of God Church constitution; we welcome the decisions and disciplinary measures applied in the ultimate membership termination and dismissal from church; including assumption of duties (relief from previously assigned duties) between APHOS Ndlovu and Pernitent Ndlovu (nee Muleya )," Nyathi said.
The Council for Churches in Africa wrote that it operates within the confines of the Cannon Law, which empowers it to endorse, effect and confirm all constitutional processes and procedures applied by its membership to institute disciplinary actions against some elements within the church who put the name of church into disrepute, violates freedoms of worship, infringe upon other congregants' rights, among other forms of abuse and malcontents including fraudulent activities, gross breach of contractual obligations or duties, among others.
Source - Byo24News
