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Dossier of abuses committed against the Anglican Dioceses of Zimbabwe Church of the Province of Central Africa
Anglican Church
October 11, 2011

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For the attention of H. E. President R. G. Mugabe

Your Excellency

We, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Anglican Province of Central Africa (CPCA), hereby submit a dossier of abuses committed against our Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe over the last four years.

Since 2007 Anglican congregations have suffered systematic harassment and persecution at the hands of the police, often in direct contravention of court rulings. Details of this litany of abuses, which include false imprisonment, violence, denial of access to churches, schools, clinics and mission stations, are outlined below. In the dioceses of Harare and Manicaland properties belonging to the Province have been misappropriated.

It is a matter of the greatest sadness that we are being prevented from continuing our work to support local and often very needy communities with healthcare and education. Our priests and people are being denied access to our own clinics and schools. Many of these institutions have been taken from us and under current poor or corrupt management are being rapidly run in to the ground and stripped of their assets. Details of this unwarranted activity and the impact on local communities are also included in this report.

Every week tens of thousands of Anglicans are denied their basic right to worship because of the lies and falsifications being propagated by the now excommunicated former bishop, Dr Kunonga, and his associates.

Nolbert Kunonga and Elson Jakazi chose of their own volition to leave the CPCA in 2007. They are no longer recognised as bishops or leaders by their former flocks, by the CPCA, by the Anglican Communion worldwide or by national and international ecumenical bodies. We express our thanks to our brothers and sisters from other churches that have supported us as we seek to communicate these facts.

Despite all of the abuses and intimidation we continue to humbly serve our communities in every way we can. We seek peace and reconciliation for all in our country and desire to play a role in promoting healing and prosperity for this great nation Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, let us state for the record that the Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe have never aligned themselves with any political party. There is no evidence to suggest we are anything other than loyal citizens of Zimbabwe. We also totally reject the misrepresentation of our church as not holding to the Church's traditional teaching on marriage. This is wholly untrue.

We are dismayed that our continued calls for justice go unheard. Meanwhile threats made to our personal freedoms and security have continued to multiply over the last few months.

We respectfully ask that you, as Head of State and of the Executive in Zimbabwe, put an end to this illegal harassment by some members of the police, whose mandate is to protect civilians, and allow us once again to use the properties which are rightfully ours so that we may worship God in peace and serve our communities and our country.

Yours sincerely

Archbishop Albert Chama (Primate of the Province of Central Africa)
Bishop Chad Gandiya (Harare) Bishop Godfrey Tawonezvi (Masvingo)
Bishop Julius Makoni (Manicaland)
Bishop Cleophas Lunga (Matabeleland)
Bishop Ishmael Mukuwanda (Central Zimbabwe)
Bishop Trevor Mwamba (Botswana)

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