CCAP top bosses lock horns over court case
Livingstonia Synod Moderator of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Reverend Douglas Chipofya, has described the church’s General Assembly Moderator Reverend Timothy Nyasulu as a hypocrite and a disorderly person as far as matters of the Livingstonia Synod are concerned.
But Nyasulu has since warned Chipofya not to take him for granted, saying as Moderator for the General Assembly, he is senior to him.
Chipofya was reacting to Nyasulu’s assertions published in our sister paper Malawi News where he faulted the Livingstonia Synod for rushing to court following disagreements with fired Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango without involving the General Assembly.
He said the Synod would be summoned to a Standing Committee meeting in Harare on November 22 2015 to explain its actions.
Nyasulu also said Livingstonia and Nkhoma synods would be questioned over the border wrangles that have widened the gap between the two synods over time.
“As General Assembly, we normally meet after four years.
However, this Standing Committee meeting in Harare will tackle issues that were pertinent in all the five synods. For example recently, Livingstonia Synod went to court with their case with Chimwemwe Mhango without getting any advice from us. We just read it in papers. If they shared with us, we would have advised them not to take the issue to court. That matter will be on the table,” said Nyasulu.
But in an interview Monday, Chipofya had no kind words for Nyasulu.
“In the first place, I do not see the rationale for telling the media the issues pertaining to the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia while Nyasulu himself is a former Moderator of the mentioned Church. If Reverend Dr Nyasulu wanted to find out why Kanengo issues are being handled in a court of law, he should have taken the effort to ask the Synod secretariat to find out why things have reached the stage where they are. Reverend
Nyasulu’s education office is just a few metres from the General Secretary’s office. It does not even take a minute to reach the GS’s office.
“When the General Administration Committee (GAC) was discussing the Kanengo issue at Phwezi, he was there but did not say anything. So why being so loud now? He is being loud outside a field of play. It is just as good as making a nice kick outside the pitch, a thing which would earn a player no mark. The right forum to display his wisdom and maturity was at a Synod function like GAC,” said Chipofya.
Chipofya said Nyasulu has never played his advisory role as a former moderator of the Synod.
He said Nyasulu was knowledgeable about Mhango’s issue which started from his refusal to be transferred to Ekwendeni.
Chipofya then faulted Nyasulu for keeping quiet on the matter ever since without offering advice to him as his successor.
He explained that it was the Kanengo splinter group that first went to court to apply for an injunction restraining the Synod from taking Mhango to Ekwendeni.
“It is now when the breakaway group has chosen to be independent that the Synod is seeking court’s intervention over the issues of church property, a thing which really needs a court to come in,” said Chipofya.
On the border wrangle with Nkhoma Synod, Chipofya said: “It is surprising to note that when Reverend Nyasulu was Livingstonia Synod Moderator, he said nothing.
Not even a single day did he dare to speak any word about border issue. It is surprising to see that now he is General Assembly Moderator after one year 11 months in office, he has chosen to blow a trumpet to the media. I do not see any seriousness in this endeavour.
“On the border issue, it is a month or two when he said that church matters should not be exposed to the media. Today he has contradicted himself. By telling the media, is he not being contradictory? He says something and does the contrary. If one does something contrary to what he advises, it is hypocrisy in the real sense of the word.
“It is my sincere belief that as Moderator of the General Assembly, he will try to be orderly on matters affecting the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia, a Church he belongs to,” said Chipofya.
But in an interview on Monday, Nyasulu hit back at Chipofya warning him that although he belongs to the Synod, he should not be taken for granted because he is also more senior in the other hat he wears as Moderator of the General Assembly and can summon him over the statements.
Nyasulu described as too strong the word hypocrisy, saying it was tantamount to character assassination.
He said he was not present at the GAC meeting when the Mhango issue was discussed. Nyasulu also said he did not know that the issue was taken to court.
“As Moderator for the General Assembly, the Synod did not tell me that they went to court. As for the GAC meeting, that is a court at Synod level and I am above that. I was not there as they were discussing that issue. It is possible he has not consulted his friends before coming to you. If he wants us to meet, we can meet,” said Nyasulu, adding that it was the first time in the history of the Synod to drag a cleric to court.
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