The Bishop Chad Gandiya-led Harare diocese of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa on Tuesday rejoiced as they conducted their first Christmas mass in their church buildings after five years in the ‘wilderness’.
The Cathedral of St. Mary and All Saints in the capital was packed to capacity as parishioners joyfully sang various hymns during the first Christmas mass to be held by the Harare diocese after losing and repossessing their property.
Bishop Chad Gandiya could not hide his joy as he led a Christmas sermon.
Gandiya said all glory should be given to the Almighty as they never envisaged going back to their church buildings let alone joining the rest of the world in celebrating Christmas.
Gandiya said that life was not easy out there as they braved tough weather conditions while worshipping under trees and rented places.
Jubilant worshipper, Grace Dzvairo, said no one ever thought that the Anglican Church dispute would come to an end.
The Gandiya-led parishioners last held such a mass at the church buildings in 2006 after Bishop Nolbert Kunonga grabbed all properties claiming that he was against homosexuality being allegedly promoted by the Church.
Bishop Kunonga and his colleagues formed a rival faction of the church which drove out those led by Gandiya from the church properties.
The Supreme Court this year ruled that Bishop Kunonga should hand over the Gandiya-led parishioners. He has since been driven out of most church buildings.
November 19 has since been declared by Bishop Gandiya as a day of thanksgiving for the Harare diocese.
The Christmas service was held under the theme “growth in service-growing as we serve.”
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Report Filed By Mavis Gama
Meanwhile, Christmas celebrations in Harare were generally low key as rains fell on the capital affecting many functions at homes and outdoor centers around the city.
In some parts of the city, rains started as early as 10 am and by lunchtime most of the city was affected forcing residents to stay indoors or put their planned outdoor festivities on hold.
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Report Filed By Irwin Chifera
It is also that time of the year again when Zimbabwe’s sons and daughters who live and work outside the country flock home to spend time with family and friends, after at least a year of living hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away.
It is a common site during the festive season to see an influx of foreign registered cars, most sporting the GP tag of South Africa’s Gauteng Province while others come from Botswana, Namibia or Zambia.
Public buses and airplanes are also full, an indication that Zimbabweans are scattered all over the world in pursuit of greener pastures.
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Report Filed By Nothando Sibanda
At the same time, police say the number of people who have died in road accidents in the past ten days has gone up to 127.
The statistics come after a commuter omnibus crash that killed 8 people near Chivhu late yesterday. Six victims were members of the same family, police say.
The Chivhu crash came on the heels of the deadliest accident yet this festive season that killed 18 people near Mutare on Sunday.
The crash has since been declared a national disaster. Names of the victims were released Tuesday.
The Chivhu crash came on the heels of the deadliest accident yet this festive season that killed 18 people near Mutare on Sunday.
The crash has since been declared a national disaster. Names of the victims were released Tuesday.
