2 news items from Zmbabwe

Under the Headline Kunonga purge on Anglicans continues, NewsDay has an article about the ex-bishop's continued predations:

Excommunicated Anglican Church Bishop Nolbert Kunonga continued his onslaught on members of a rival faction after parishioners at St Andrews Arcadia Church in Harare were kicked out of their place of worship over the weekend.

.... Eighty-four-year-old Ada Adams said: I contributed immensely at the church. I have not known any church but this one. We built the church on our own, we bought bricks so as to put up this church.

I do not even know what to say, I had to take time to be able to talk to you because I have this huge lump in my throat, so I had to take a deep breath so that I am able to talk. People were crying, it was a real emotional service we had. more...

It's purely destructive greed - it's not as though he has lots of followers waiting to use the church.

On the other hand,
SW Radio Africa reports

A coalition of the main religious leaders in the country has embarked on a regional drive to urge SADC leaders to persuade Robert Mugabe to implement comprehensive reforms before the next election.

The offensive comes as SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that leaders in the Global Political Agreement are mulling calling for elections in the last quarter of 2012.

Rev Lameck Mutete

The church leaders, under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations, have prepared a report detailing the stumbling blocks to free and fair elections, which they are presenting to justice ministers from the SADC bloc.

...
Anglican church Reverend Lameck Mutete told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that church leaders have taken it upon themselves to remind Mugabe of his constitutional duties.

‘It’s not a question of forcing or putting pressure on Mugabe to reform but it’s actually a reminder which is in line with what was agreed when the unity government was formed.

‘He has diverted from what he assented to during negotiations that gave birth to the GPA. The church leaders are simply reminding him of his constitutional duties,’ Reverend Mutete said.

I take my hat off to them. They breed tough, committed and resilient Anglicans in Zimbabwe.