SDA church accuse members of indiscipline
THE Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) has accused the members who sued the church for alleged electoral malpractices by the church leadership during the North Zambia Conference (NZC) elective session, of attempting to shield themselves from the discipline of the church.
Northern Zambia Union Conference (NZUC) Executive Secretary, Pastor Emmanuel Mwewa, submitted to the Lusaka High Court, that nine of the 102 litigants in the case, had tried to forcefully shift the district Pastor out of Mbala.
The named nine facing disciplinary action are Mr Gilbert Ng’andu, Mr Sydney Kaitule, Mr John Nsama, Mrs Vera Nsama and Mr Bright Chipundu.
Others are Ms Miriam Kachembo, Mr Ben Chalwe, Ms Judith Muzosha and Ms Chilombo Nayame.
That the references activities above undermined the activities and authorities of the union and the local church as the affected persons do not have authority to do what they did,” he said.
Pastor Mwewa objected claims made by the members that the disciplinary hearing set by the church was because of the court case.
“That going by the church manual and particularly on page 67 to 68, it provides circumstances to which a member may be disciplined. A member cannot use a court action to shield himself or herself from the discipline of the church and if that happens, the church may become ungovernable and the irreparable damage will happen to the church than the nine members in issue. That no one is being intimidated but they were being called to be heard,” he said.
In this matter, Mr Paul Chishimba and 102 others, commenced proceedings in the Lusaka High Court against SDA in Zambia Registered Trustees and the Northern Zambia Union Conference (NZUC) president, Dr. Tommy Namitondo.
The plaintiffs who claimed to be bonafide members of the church seek an order that disciplinary action be taken against Dr Namitondo
for electoral malpractices during the NZC elective sessions and also for uttering a document to SID purportedly to have been authored by the NZUC executive committee when in fact not.
They also want the court to order NZUC to refund all the costs and expenses incurred on the two aborted NZC elective sessions including all expenses incurred by the reconstituted Northern Zambia Field (NZF) executive owing to its illegal status.
The 103 members seek a declaration that all the decisions of the NZUC and subsequent actions regarding and incidental to the aborted elective sessions held in Kasama on December 12 to 14, 2022, and in Mpika on March 28 ,2023, including but not Limited to the appointment of the President, Executive Secretary and Chief Financial Officer or any other of the NZF by the NZUC are null and void.
They demand a declaration that the decision to review the conference status of NZC to field status was done in breach of the Church’s laid down rules and procedures and therefore is null and void.