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Open air worshippers at a shrine in Victoria Falls

Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
A VICTORIA Falls magistrate yesterday barred apostolic sects from worshipping in open spaces as they were deemed to be a nuisance. Rangarirai Gakanje granted the order following an application by the Victoria Falls Municipality which claimed that open air worshippers were a nuisance in the resort town.

The local authority dragged Johane Masowe WeChishanu, Johane Masowe Jerusalema, Johane Masowe, and Puritan Apostolic Church who are members of the Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe and Africa (UDACZCZA) to court over the matter.

Scores of apostolic sects’ members now have to vacate a greenbelt known by locals as the buffer zone which lies between Mkhosana and Chinotimba suburbs after Gakanje, sitting in the Civil Court, ruled that the churches must move away.

“After hearing submissions from all parties the court finds that indeed a nuisance exists in the circumstances because the respondents haven’t shown any justification as to why they’re flouting the regulations governing this land in question,” said the magistrate.

Gakanje said the local authority fears of a health hazard were sustained because the sects did not have any toilets.

“The Municipality stated that this is a buffer zone which isn’t meant for any human occupation and there’s a health hazard. The municipality doesn’t bar respondents from prayer and worship but from doing so in the stated areas. In essence the respondents have no right to be occupying these areas. It’s hereby ordered that the respondents and their affiliate members stop conducting prayers or worshipping at the said pieces of land with immediate effect,” she added.

In the summons, the council represented by Dube and Company, accused the churches of violating the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act and the Public Health Act.

It cited Dickson Mathe ( Johane Masowe Wechishanu Jerusalema), Benfred Dube (Johane Masowe WeChishanu), Malvin Kutsadzira (Johane Masowe), Sipho Mahlangu (Johane Masowe WeChishanu) and Clement Mukwasi, UDACZCZA spokesperson as the respondents.

“The greenbelt on both sides of the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo highway and Kazungula-Victoria Falls Road is a buffer zone and isn’t subject to any form of occupation or human use even on temporary basis,” said the municipality.

The council alleged that the worshippers were cutting down trees, leaving some pieces of cloth on trees as flags and defecating on open spaces thereby posing a health risk.

The local authority wants the churches to move to Kinshasa area behind Mosi-oa-Tunya High School and threatened to use “the force of law” if the order was violated.

Representing UDACZCZA in court, Mukwasi accused the council of being anti-Christ. “This is an anti-Christ application that only seeks to disturb people towards Easter. Besides, the Public Health Act doesn’t specify praying and worshipping as a nuisance,” he told the magistrate.

Mathe said they were shocked by the decision to move them to Kinshasa after worshipping from the said land for 23 years.

Kutsadzira added: “How do you differentiate faeces of an apostolic church member from those of drunkards who use the bush to relieve themselves? There are many council structures that’ve no ablution facilities and how different are they from us?”