The Zimbabwean
by Edgar Gweshe
12 November 2012
ZIMBABWE’S Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, has pledged to help restore sanity and improving learning conditions Anglican schools that had been seized by renegade bishop, Nolbert Kunonga.
Kunonga on Monday lost a battle at the Supreme Court to keep control of the church’s property in the Harare Diocese on Monday.
Deputy Chief Justice, Luke Malaba, ruled that Kunonga and his followers were no longer part of the Anglican Church as they broke away from the main church in 2007 and, resultantly, they were not entitled to its property. Malaba said Kunonga was wrongly in control of the church’s property since 2007.
Speaking after the Supreme Court judgment which reversed an earlier ruling by the High Court realising Kunonga as the rightful owner of Anglican Church property in the diocese of Harare, Coltart said: “Our prayers have been answered for the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe. I now look forward to working with them to restore sanity in their schools which have suffered so much during this period of insanity.
As usual my door is open if they need help in this regard.†Coltart, like many other Anglican worshippers, expressed delight at the Supreme Court judgement which he said would help restore order in the Anglican schools.
Soon after the judgement, social media such as Facebook were awash with congratulatory messages for Bishop Gandiya who leads the Church of Central Province of Africa while Kunonga was heavily attacked by jubilant parishioners.
In an interview with The Zimbabwean, Gandiya admitted that standards in schools which had been seized by Kunonga had drastically fallen. He admitted they were facing an uphill task to restore order at the schools.
“The standards were falling. We realise we have a big task ahead of us. Our Education Committee will be meeting this week to look into the issue and map out strategies on how best to improve the standards at the schools,†said Gandiya.