End of last year, Anglican Bishop Elson Jakazi was seeking to revive his battle to control the church’s Diocese of Manicaland barely two months after the Supreme Court struck off his notice of appeal from the roll.

Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba dismissed Bishop Jakazi and his trustees’ appeal in October in which they were challenging a High Court decision thwarting their efforts to reclaim leadership of the church.

Bishop Jakazi in September 2007 tendered resignation from the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa, which was accepted.

Three months later, the bishop tried to recant his decision, but the church rejected the move insisting that Bishop Jakazi was no longer the leader and a member of the church.

The church then appointed Bishop Peter Hatendi to lead the diocese, a decision that did not go down well with Bishop Jakazi and prompted him to file an urgent chamber application to bar the consecration.

Justice Chinembiri Bhunu dismissed the application and declared that Bishop Jakazi had voluntarily resigned and withdrawn from the church and that he had no right to stop the consecration of a new bishop.

Bishop Jakazi then appealed to the Supreme Court where his notice of appeal was found to be fatally defective before being struck off the roll.

It was dismissed together with four other appeals by Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of the Anglican Church of the Province of Zimbabwe.

Anglicans in Manicaland were caught up in a state of confusion following a Supreme Court ruling declaring the Church of the Province of Central Africa represented by Bishop Chad Gandiya as the legitimate owners of the church properties in the Diocese of Harare.

Bishop Jakazi’s appeal was also struck off but he filed a chamber application for permission to file an appeal out of time.