By Staff Reporter
The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe’s battle for leadership has ended after the Supreme Court ordered Reverend Cossam Chiangwa and his faction to return properties to rival Reverend Amon Madawo.
AFM, one of the biggest and oldest Pentecostal churches in the country, was in 2018 ripped apart after the formation of two warring factions by the church’s former general-secretary Reverend Madawo and another by Rev Cossam Chiangwa, the church’s former deputy president.
The court order came after Chiangwa’s camp approached the High Court seeking an order interdicting their rivals from using the registered name of the church.
“The respondents are hereby directed to relinquish to the fifth applicant all property belonging to the fifth applicant in possession or under control of the respondents,” read the court’s judgement, adding that failure to comply with the ruling, the sheriff of Zimbabwe would take the property and hand over to Madawo.
The church’s most senior retired president, Dr Enos Manyika, through his lawyers Mathonsi Ncube Law Chambers, filed an application at the Bulawayo High Court citing Reverends Madawo, Clever Mupakaidza,
Brian Tembo, Christopher Chemhuru and the AFM in Zimbabwe as respondents.
In his founding affidavit, Dr Manyika said he was AFM’s founding president who spearheaded the registration of the church in 2001 under registration number CF220/01.
“I am a representative of the church and also it’s founding president who caused the registration of the AFM in 2001,”he said.
“It has come to my understanding and knowledge that the respondents are using the registered name of the church and causing the creation of a parallel constitution, which is separate and alien to the one registered and filed with the Registrar of Companies.
“The respondents do not have neither the blessings nor authority of the church to use its name or any of its symbols.
“They have already indicated on oath that they do.”
