KAROI – Baton-wielding police officers this week drove out 60 children from a nursery school at Karoi Anglican church because their parents do not support excommunicated bishop Nolbert Kunonga’s bid to seize control of the church.

In a bizarre twist to the ongoing battle for control of the Harare Anglican church diocese on Wednesday parents who had accompanied their children to the church where they attend their lessons until mid-day were surprised when eight police officers armed with batons arrived and drove out the unsuspecting children, locking them out of the church.

''It was dramatic for us as we watched baton-wielding police officers driving out shell-shocked children under five years of age from the church premises. The junior officers got the order from their seniors,'' said one parent who is also a church member.

 The Anglican Church’s Harare diocese is divided into two factions – led by Kunonga and Archbishop Chad Gandiya – who are involved in a tense and sometimes violent struggle to control the church. Karoi farming town, about 203km north-west of the capital, falls under the diocese of Harare.

Last Sunday, the priest in charge of Karoi parish, Peter Balicholo who is suspected of being a Kunonga sympathiser locked out worshippers, forcing them to hold their service under the trees in the open space outside the church.

Balicholo who was transferred to Karoi from Harare last October, confirmed that the children were locked out of the church because their parents support the Gandiya – the legitimate leader of the Anglican church in Harare after he was appointed by the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) to head the diocese.

“The church council committee and other followers are against bishop Kunonga and they are acting against him that’s why I had these children driven out of the church premises,” Balicholo told ZimOnline.

Parishioners said they were dismayed at the ongoing turf war between Kunonga and Gandiya saying it was unbecoming for Christians.

“We are surprised that the divisions are affecting children who were enrolled here. We never thought that these battles could affect children as young as four years. The community has to assist to end this madness,” said one worshipper speaking on condition that his name was not published.

''It’s unfortunate that the dirty politics is affecting our children'' said another parishioner Dainos Mutara of Chiedza suburb in Karoi.

Police chief superintendent David Mandizha in charge of police in Hurungwe district that covers Karoi, refused to comment on the issue although he was seen at the church premises with Balicholo last Wednesday afternoon.

Kunonga – who as Bishop of Harare tried to use the pulpit to defended President Robert Mugabe’s controversial policies – was dismissed by the CPCA after he attempted to withdraw the diocese of Harare from the synod. The CPCA is the supreme authority of Anglican Church in the region.

But Kunonga has defied its orders to surrender church property, while Gandiya and his followers say the police have sided with the renegade bishop and assisted him to seize control of church prayer halls and buildings in violation of several court orders.

Meanwhile Gandiya’s followers are tomorrow expected to hold prayers at Africa Unity Square in central Harare to press the police to allow the church access to its halls and buildings across the capital.

Mugabe – who is Catholic – will not attend despite being invited by the church.

Anglican Church registrar Michael Chingore confirmed that the prayer meeting will go ahead as planned.

"We do have a police clearance, we are going ahead with the gathering as planned," Chingore said, adding; “The President hasn’t confirmed, I don’t believe he will be coming as we did not receive any confirmation if he would be coming. We want to drive a point and I hope nothing happens." -- ZimOnline.