Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Leaked police document exposes bias for sacked Bishop


From Zimbabwe-

A leaked police document has exposed the brazen police bias for sacked Anglican Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, whose small band of violent supporters have been harassing rival parishioners. Kunonga was excommunicated after trying to unilaterally withdraw the Harare diocese from the Central African Province. A fight over property saw the High Court order both factions to share, while the matter is still being dealt with.

However on the 26th March the Officer Commanding Harare Province, Superintendent A.M Nyakurimwa, issued an ‘Operational Order’ instructing police to ‘ensure that only one church service is conducted - by the Kunonga faction.’ The order goes on to map out the deployment of officers for the operation and instructs Police Internal and Security Intelligence officers to be deployed ‘for intelligence gathering in their respective areas of policing.’

Co-Home Affairs Minister Giles Mutsekwa said he was ‘deeply saddened and disturbed that an order like that had been issued.’ He told our Behind the Headlines series that he was surprised because, ‘only last week this particular issue was a subject of immense debate in cabinet. Thereafter I had a detailed discussion with the Commissioner General of Police, Augustine Chihuri, and the two of us agreed that there is a judgment in place to be followed by everybody,’ he said.

Mutsekwa said the government had since deployed the National Healing Ministers to intervene in the dispute within the Anglican Church. Asked why the courts could not do their job and deal with the pending case Mutsekwa said he believed in judicial independence and as a member of the executive arm of government he could not cross the line and tell them what to do.

More here-

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news290310/leaked290310.htm

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