By Ntombi Mhlongo
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As tensions between the congregants and leadership of the main Cathedral of the Eswatini Diocese of the Anglican Church escalate, members displayed their unhappiness by marching to deliver a petition at the house of Bishop Dalcy Badeli Dlamini.
The march to deliver the petition happened after the congregants held a meeting just after the morning service held at the church’s main diocese, the All Saints Cathedral in Mbabane on Sunday.
During the meeting, the congregants took turns with the microphone to raise some of the issues they believe are causing tensions. According to some of the members, the main bone of contention is that the Bishop has, since assuming leadership, been ignoring some of the church’s canon laws.
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The canon laws relate to how the church should be run. One of the things the members are not happy with is that the Bishop has made certain changes to the leadership of the church without consultation.
It has been alleged that she redeployed the Cathedral’s reverend without engaging the congregation and this led to a series of correspondence being exchanged between the parties but no solution has been found.
As a result, members of the Cathedral are said to have withheld funds that are usually contributed to fund the entire parishes of the local diocese including paying salaries of reverends.
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The tensions are so serious that the congregants have even written a letter to the Cape Town-based head of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. In the letter, the congregants listed the issues and during the meeting on Sunday, feedback was shared that they were awaiting a response.
Dlamini assumed the position of Bishop on February 19 last year following the demise of Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya two years ago.
