The annual meeting of Harare's Anglican Church Cathedral vestry degenerated into chaos yesterday when tempers flared over alleged lack of transparency in finances.
The congregation sang continuously appealing for divine intervention in the restoration of respect and principles of the church defying calls for order from the preacher, the Harare Vicar General, the Very Rev David Manyau.
At the centre of the controversy is ex-Dean of the Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, the Very Reverend Godfrey Tawonezvi, who is accused of firing church wardens without a specific inquiry and suspending the councillors in contravention of the Acts of the Diocese, the law of the church.
Very Rev Tawonezvi, who is now the Anglican Bishop-Elect of Masvingo, is also accused of withdrawing church funds without the signatures of the two churchwardens and the chairperson of committees for education, social welfare and finance.
Yesterday's annual general meeting to elect new councillors was suspended as people hurled insults and booed Harare Bishop Nobert Kunonga's representative, the Very Rev Manyau, for ignoring their concerns.
Ignored
"The Bishop has ignored the congregation," said Ms Pauline Makoni, a representative of the church. "The Vestry (annual meeting) cannot take place until an inquiry is instituted to probe Rev Tawonezvi's financial dealings.
"He should answer all our concerns before he leaves the parish," she told church members who had walked out of the mass.
She accused Rev Tawonezvi of changing signatories on his own without the approval of the church.
"We have no idea of how much money is there, what it is being used for and we have to stop this," she said.
Church members have since engaged lawyers to seek an injunction against the Very Rev Tawonezvi for allegedly using the church funds without their approval and against the bank for honouring cheques signed by an interim committee without the support of the church.
"The issue does not end with people running away, but with people standing up to the matter," Ms Makoni said.
"The laws of the church are so clear," said one member. "Why would people want to circumvent the laws . . . it's not right for the church to be embroiled in such disputes."
The Vicar General tried in vain to calm the congregation by telling them that it was Bishop Kunonga's wish for members to forget about what had happened in the past and move towards reconciliation.
He had only been sent to conduct the vestry.
But a barrage of criticism from the floor forced him to cancel the holding of the annual meeting.
Church members wanted him to lead the church into probing the Very Rev Tawonezvi's conduct and reinstate the suspended councillors before the meeting could be held.
Outsiders say politics is tearing the church apart with rival church members supporting the country's two major political parties.