An unholy confrontation has errupted in one of many largest church buildings in Southern Africa after allegations of the purging of ministers within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) surfaced on Friday.
Some church members, reverends and chaplains’ wives are accusing some bishops of bullying, cruelty and being hell-bent on destroying the careers of senior pastors, who’re ordained monks.
Reality TV star Nandi Mlombi, the spouse of Reverend Mawuzole Mlombi, a minister for 5 years at Bedfordview Methodist Church, fired the primary salvo on Friday. She publicly and angrily revealed particulars of the raging feud between the church members and elders as she accused the Methodist bishops of bullying and victimising some senior monks, together with her husband.
On behalf of her husband, Nandi confronted the central district bishop, Religion Whitby, Methodist Church common secretary Michel Hansrod and the Southern African presiding bishop, Purity Malinga, asking them to intervene.
Talking to Sunday Phrase yesterday, Nandi stated: “An invite was despatched to my husband by the church ministers. They wanted him to proceed to evangelise and worship together with his congregation for the subsequent 5 years, and the identical invitation was taken to the synod for approval. The management of the church accepted the invitation, which means my husband was nonetheless going to be a reverend of Bedfordview Methodist Church.
“Nonetheless, to our dismay, my husband was known as by Religion [Whitby] telling him that he was now not going to be stationed anyplace at Methodist church buildings throughout Southern Africa,” stated Nandi. “My husband was admitted to hospital on account of this and he’s on persistent medicine as effectively. We’ve got six youngsters who’re attending faculty right here, and for the church to inform my husband on the eleventh hour that he’ll now not have an earnings, medical support, and a house to stay in together with his household is totally absurd,” she fumed.
Whitby, who presides over the central district, which covers components of Gauteng and North West, allegedly knowledgeable Nandi’s husband telephonically that he was being moved from the Bedfordview Church subsequent yr and the decision was adopted by the letter penned by Hansrod, dated October 14, 2022, through e mail.
Within the letter we have now seen, Hansrod copied Methodist leaders together with Whitby, church’s common treasurer Rannoi Sedumo, human sources administrator Lwethu Madi and Mario Da Silva, the Supernumerary Fund Administrator Medical Assist Staff.
“This letter serves to sadly affirm that you’re not stationed for subsequent yr and as such your title will probably be recorded within the Connexional Stations below 3115: With out Station. Nonetheless, you stay a minister within the Methodist Church, below the self-discipline of the church, and accountable to the bishop of the district the place you’ll reside.”
The letter additional states that Mawuzole will probably be compelled to be current at synod (Methodist Annual Convention), and if unable to take action, search dispensation from his bishop and reply disciplinary questions. “Please report back to the workplace of the bishop and superintendent minister the place you’ll reside as quickly as attainable in order that they might pay attention to your presence. Since you’ll obtain no stipend there will probably be no pension contribution for the time you’re unstationed, until you prepare with the MCO finance unit you’ll contribute the non-public and church contributions in direction of the Supernumerary Fund.
“Equally, the medical support will probably be obtainable to you when you prepare with the finance unit to personally pay to your medical contribution as calculated by the finance unit. That is understandably a troublesome time for you,” reads the letter.
In response, Nandi took to her Fb web page on Friday. “What did he do to be dismissed with instant impact with no disciplinary or intervention wanted. Whose spouse did he sleep with? Whose cash did he steal? Did he impregnate somebody apart from his spouse? Did he sleep with the congregants?”
Nandi stated girls parishioners would quickly be marching to the Methodist headquarters in Bruma, east of Johannesburg, in protest as a result of 9 different pastors are in the identical state of affairs as Mlombi.
Yonela Nyembenya, the daughter of retired Methodist Church Reverend MS Nyembenya, confirmed there was unhappiness in how the church is run. “When you disagree with these church leaders you’re handled. There’s anarchy on the Methodist Church, and we have now been watching this for too lengthy. We can’t flip a blind eye after we see the church we grew up below getting tousled.”
Talking on situation of anonymity, a reverend from Qunu within the Jap Cape stated he had his personal fair proportion of ill-treatment from the Methodist church. “Since 2018, I’ve been moved round church buildings within the Jap Cape whereas being paid peanuts, till they dumped me at Qunu, the place I’m not even receiving a wage. I used to earn R24 000, however now I’m incomes zero. My automotive was repossessed by the financial institution. The church is fraudulent, and it’s run by mafias.”
In response to our questions, Hansrod stated: “I gained’t be capable of reply to your questions.” Malinga and Whitby’s telephones together with that of the Methodist Church Southern Africa spokesperson Bongi Moyo-bango, rang unanswered.
Within the assertion launched by the Methodist Church Southern Africa on Friday relating to Nandi’s Fb publish, Moyo-bango stated, “The MCSA want to categorially condemn and refute the wrong statements made by Mrs Nandi Mlombi, the spouse of certainly one of our ministers, Rev Zole Mlombi, on her Fb profile this morning the place she maligns a number of people within the Methodist Church, together with Bishop Religion Whitby.
“Mrs Mlombi suggests being on the foot of station is a punishment for ‘immoral behaviour’. Being with out an appointment shouldn’t be punitive and ministers usually discover themselves with out appointment for varied causes. Mrs Mlombi insinuates that ministers found guilty of misconduct such as adultery and theft have been let off to not face penalties of their actions. That is mischievous, malicious, and intentionally deceptive.”
– Sunday World
Associated Celeb Gossip Information
