LEADERSHIP TROUBLE AT BHUNYA ALLIANCE CHURCH

MBABANE – Is there disunity at the Bhunya Alliance Church?

This question could be best answered by some of the congregants of the church, who have petitioned the Regional Church Board (RCB) about challenges they were facing at Bhunya Alliance.

The church members have called upon the RCB to reconsider their pastor’s continuation as a leader of the church.

The petition, which Eswatini News has seen, was forwarded to the RCB’s Chairman, Pastor Matimakhulu.

It has been learnt that 30 people signed the petition, which is critical of Pastor Muzi Eric Dlamini’s leadership style.

Petitioners alleged that some members have either resigned from the Local Church Board (LCB) while others left unceremoniously.

The aggrieved members cited Section 9.15.2 of the Church’s Constitution, which provides that the LCB holds power to facilitate the appointment and/or transfer of a church pastor.

Also, the member alleged that their relationship with Pastor Dlamini was at its lowest. 

Allegations levelled against the Bhunya Alliance Church leadership will not be repeated pending the outcome of internal deliberations.

Victimisation

Some of the members, who asked not to be identified in fear of victimisation, said that they signed the petition for the sake of peace, they requested to be separated from the pastor. 

“There is a whole lot of things going in the church. It is no longer conducive to attend services,” alleged one member, while substantiating her statement with information which could not be proven.

Another one added that it was not the first time they approached the RCB concerning similar challenges.

They expressed hope that the Pastor Matimakhulu-led Board would deal with the matter urgently. When asked about the petition, Pastor Matimakhulu, who chairs the RCB, confirmed that they received it from the congregants.

Initially, he said the  petition had been directed to the LCB, but copied to the RCB. 

“In fact, the members had earlier written a letter to the chairperson of the local board. However, they did not reach a consensus. Then they wrote to the Regional Board informing it about the challenges.

“As the Regional Board, we then summoned the chairperson of the Local Board. Later, they requested to again handle their difference at the local level,” the man of God said.

Pastor Matimakhulu said they were currently waiting for a report from the affected parties.

He then added that they also learnt about some of the concerns through the media.

In fact, he said they requested Pastor Dlamini to give clarity on those concerns raised by the members.

Expelled

Pastor Matimakhulu said it was also during that meeting that they learnt that some members had been allegedly expelled from the church for absenteeism.

“He told us that they were working on the matter at branch level. He asked to be allowed time to investigate it together with the church committee,” the chairperson said.

Pastor Matimakhulu also revealed that they had been made aware of the about tension between the church members and their pastor. This was before the congregants signed the petition.

As the Regional Board, Pastor Matimakhulu said they engaged Pastor Dlamini on the issue.

He said they requested the pastor to address the matter, and he promised to handle it.

“While waiting for a report on the matter, we then saw articles in the media,” the chairperson said. When quizzed about the grievances tabled by the aggrieved brethrens, Pastor Matimakhulu responded by saying that they only knew about them through the media.

Pressed on the resignation of members, the chairperson said they were aware that some members had not returned to church after government implemented a lockdown.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: