Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Flora Fadzai Sibanda, florafadzaisibz@gmail.com
SEVERAL congregants from the Jehovah’s Witness church have gathered at the Bulawayo Amphitheatre for their annual circuit assembly conference.
The church hosts the conference annually as a way of showcasing its unity and celebrating achievements recorded during the course of the year.
The church’s spokesperson, Mr Witness Gama said in light of the prevailing water crisis in the city, the church is working closely with the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to avoid a health disaster.
“BCC gave us water and as a church, we had to buy a few litres of water to ensure that our congregants are safe. This year, our theme is focused on Philippians 1 vs 12-28. It talks about being united and how Christians should behave in the eyes of the Lord,” he said.
“We are aware of the water challenges and we had to buy our own water and engaged the council for more since we are hosting about 2 000 people.”
Meanwhile, residents in suburbs such as Mpopoma, Magwegwe and Pelandaba who usually cash in on the Apostolic Faith Mission of Africa (AFMA)’s annual camp meeting at Nkulumane Primary School in Mpopoma, this year missed out on the business opportunity after the church shifted its venue to the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre.
Residents usually lease out their rooms to the congregants during this time of the year, charging between US$5 and US$10 per person occupying a room.
Mrs Sihle Dube of Mpopoma suburb said for the past four years she has been renting out her house and getting money to pay her children’s school fees.
“During this time of the year, I knew I would get close to US$400 from rentals collected from the AFMA congregants and that helped me to pay fees and buy uniforms for my children,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Amos Ncube said he was disappointed when he heard that the church had changed its venue due to water challenges.
“I had already sent my children to the rural areas to create space for the congregants, but this year, it turned out that they decided to change their venue due to the water crisis. However, I hope next year things will be better,” said Mr Ncube.
The AFMA is a breakaway group from the main AFMA, which is headquartered in Lobengula Extension 4 suburb in Bulawayo.
In June 2015, at the height of the conflict, police were deployed to the church building to quell running battles following clashes between two rival factions vying for ownership of the church. One camp was led by the late Reverend Tony Tshuma while the other was led by Rev Clement Nyathi.
Scores of church members were left nursing injuries and some had to be rushed to the hospital. Armed anti-riot police with dogs cordoned off the area surrounding the church and imposed a curfew after church members assaulted a police officer.
The clashes left doors, windows and musical instruments damaged. The rival camps had since 2013 been locked in a protracted legal battle over the control of the church property and leadership until the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Tshuma camp, marking an official split between the two factions. — @flora_sibanda
