The former Anglican Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of Harare was continuing to fight for control of church buildings and properties owned by the Anglican Church (CPCA), despite losing a legal challenge at the High Court in late 2012.

Lawyer Jonathan Samukange filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court in December, challenging High Court Judge George Chiweshe’s refusal to deal with Kunonga’s latest application.

The former Bishop was seeking to block the deputy sheriff from evicting those occupying church buildings he had taken from the CPCA in the five years since CPCA excommunicated him. Judge Chiweshe said he had no jurisdiction to hear the matter because the Supreme Court had already ruled on it.

The Supreme Court ruled that Bishop Chad Gandiya was the rightful Bishop of Harare and the CPCA was granted ownership of all church properties. The CPCA has already taken back many of the buildings they lost to Kunonga, but the former Bishop refuses to let the case die.

As of mid-December 2012, Kunonga’s lawyers claimed the fresh application at the Supreme Court was from Kunonga-led Anglican Church of the Province of Zimbabwe (ACPZ), not Kunonga himself.