dyton mupawaenda
H-Metro Reporter
The High Court has nullified Washington Mugodhi’s appointment as the leader of the Mugodhi Apostolic Faith Church (MAFC), putting the wrangle to an end.
Judge Justice Siyabona Musithu made the judgement ending a leadership wrangle.
Mugodhi’s appointment as bishop was declared unconstitutional, and the court nullified all the actions he partook in.
The court reinstated Aaron Munodawafa as the substantive bishop.
Munodawafa faction had accused Mugodhi of not abiding by the church constitution.
Their constitution stated that in the event of the death of a bishop, his or her deputy assumes the leadership role.
Justice Musithu declared Munodawafa as the legitimate leader of MAFC.
“Whether Aaron Munodawafa is the bishop of the church it is common cause that at the time the meeting of August 10, 2019 was held, Aaron Munodawafa was the most senior vice Bishop.
“He is said to have become old and frail and therefore incapacitated to hold office in the capacity of Bishop or vice Bishop.
“Following the death of Bishop Mugodhi on 14 October 2019, Munodawafa was the first senior vice Bishop who was earmarked to take over the reins of Bishop in terms of the church’s constitution.
“His participation in the proceedings was therefore essential.
“The court agrees with the submission by the plaintiffs’ counsel that Munodawafa’s state of health did not disqualify him from ascending to the position of Bishop in terms of the church’s constitution.”
“The parties have been in and out of court on diverse occasions. The dispute concerning the legitimate leadership of the church remained unresolved in all those legal skirmishes.
“The matters as consolidated therefore raised an important legal question that the parties had long evaded during their lengthy legal voyage.
“An order of costs on the punitive scale is therefore unjustified.
“It is therefore declared that the second defendant is the substantive Bishop of the first defendant in terms of its constitution.
“The third defendant is the Vice Bishop of the first defendant in terms of its constitution.
“The fourth defendant’s appointment as Vice Bishop of the first defendant, being ultra vires, the first defendant’s constitution is null and void.”
Added Justice Musithu:
“Consequently, it is hereby ordered that the fourth defendant is interdicted from holding himself as Bishop of the first defendant.
“All appointments and or reassignments and actions of the fourth defendant in his purported
capacity as Bishop of the first defendant are unconstitutional and therefore null and void.”
The factional wars in the church trace back to July 2017, when Bishop Tadeu Mugodhi, while battling cancer, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the church’s succession clause for the next leader.
Following Tadeu’s death, a dispute arose between the Munodawafa faction and the Washington Mugodhi faction, leading to clashes within the church, with some turning violent.
Online Reporter