Church unity feud in angry flames again
THE main gate to the Presbyterian Church in Ross Mission near Mthatha was barricaded with burning tyres yesterday as feuding factions clashed.
What sparked yesterday’s fury was the double booking of the church hall. One group wanted it for an ordinary church service and the other wanted to hold a young women’s union service.
The feud between the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa and the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa started in 1999 with the decision to form one church, but there have been many factors fuelling hostility in the Ross Mission, which has 28 preaching stations around O R Tambo district.
The Reformed faction’s spokesman and session clerk, Ayanda Matiso, and Uniting co-ordinator Lulama Halam have blamed each other for the infighting.
Halam previously said a decision was taken to unite the church and operate under the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa name.
“But the other side still maintains autonomy and claims the Ross Mission property. But this property belongs to the Uniting,” said Halam.
But Matiso said the issues of unification between the two sister churches was a court matter at national level.
“Here [locally] we are fighting over an unqualified reverend. It has been proven that the reverend does not have the required qualifications and was removed from the church. But there are those who sympathise with him and it destabilises the church. This is what has caused the fight at Ross Mission since September last year,” said Matiso.
He said that eight members, including himself, had been interdicted from the church.
Halam could not be reached yesterday to respond on the unqualified priest claim.
By the time the Dispatch left the church at about 11am Matiso’s Reformed group had managed to enter the church hall and lock Halam’s group out.
Some of Matiso’s group and villagers then blocked the main gate with burning tyres. A minibus with SAPS public order police had come and gone before the tyres were burnt. —