The Anglican Diocese in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province is facing huge challenges as it tries to rehabilitate infrastructure run-down by years of neglect under dethroned and disgraced former Arch-Bishop Elson Jakazi.

Jakazi, a former Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) head Zanu PF apologist turned Nolbert Kunonga who wreaked havoc for years after grabbing properties belonging to the CPCA across the country.

In an interview with RelZim this week, CPCA Manicaland Bishop under re-instated Zimbabwean church head Bishop Chad Gandiya, Dr Julius Makoni said the Supreme Court ruling the overthrew Kunonga also got rid of Jakazi.

“We got all our properties under the same judgment,” he said disputing to media reports and claims from Jakazi that the February Apex Court ruling only applied to Harare.

“We got our judgment in February this year and have been in-charge since then but I must say we have been struggling to rehabilitate the dilapidated infrastructure that had been run-down by years of abuse and neglect.

“However, we will soldier on, that is why we are there we need a lot of money but we are working. Slowly but surely we are getting there,” Makoni said without divulging specific financial details.

“There has been a lot of confusion and I need to clarify something here. We are separate entities,” Jakazi said.

“These dioceses are different and autonomous of each other. We are not under the Harare Diocese and are still waiting for the determination of our case,” Jakazi said then.

He added, “It was previously thrown out by the Supreme Court on (October 22) on a technicality but then we immediately rectified the problem and re-lodged it. There was never an order relating to the Manicaland diocese and for now we are not going anywhere.”

“For me it is business as usual, there is nothing that has changed. I was actually surprised to see Julius Makoni (the Manicaland Bishop in the Chad Gandiya-led CPCA  commenting in some sections of the media saying they will be taking back their properties. That is not going to happen until the court has made a determination. We are waiting for the trial,” he said.

However, efforts to contact Jakazi this week drew blanks as he seems to have retreated into the wilderness following his and Kunonga’s fall from grace.

Jakazi had taken charge of St Augustine’s Mission in Penhalonga as well as St David’s Bonda in Mutasa, among a host of properties under the Manicaland Diocese.

Gandiya last week told reporters at a media briefing that the Church had embarked on a massive infrastructure rehabilitation programme to return the CPCA to its former glory.

The Supreme Court last year ended a four-year acrimonious battle for the control of church properties between Kunonga and his main rival Bishop Gandiya, who is recognised by the international Anglican Communion.

See related reading:

Anglican bishops celebrate  court success