Africa-Press – Eswatini. Police had to be called in to keep order during the Mbabane Africa Evangelical Church (AEC) service yesterday in Msunduza.
This was after some men, calling themselves the executive committee, invaded the church with the intention to stop the pastor, Reverend Nicholas Maseko from preaching and address the congregation.
At around 10.15am, the executive committee was found having a conversation with four police officers who were in the church premises whilst the service proceeded. The officers were travelling in a white sedan with police registration plates.
Also present were Msunduza community police and a private security company who had also been called to keep order. While the executive, police and community police talked outside, the service continued inside with church members singing praise and worship songs to drown the disruption to the servcie. One of the officers would be seen going in and out of the church.
According to a source, the executive had problems with Maseko’s leadership and allege that certain things were being done outside of the constitution. The executive is said to have tried to disrupt the service, but they failed.
According to the source, the executive committee did the same with another branch last weekend.
The police and community police stayed at the premises until 1pm, when brethren were leaving the premises.
The source said the service proceeded, with the police keeping peace and order and trying to talk to the executive.
Msunduza community police member Charlie Dlamini said they were called to the church as they were told that there was something going on there. He said they were told that the pastor did not want to co-operate with the executive and they were there to keep order.
Dlamini said the pastor refused to see the executive and continued with his duties. He also said the church elders talked to them and said Maseko had no interest in talking to the elders.
One of the members of the executive, which consisted of more than four members identified as Bheki Zwane, refused to respond to questions.
“We do not need the media right now, we will let you know when the time to talk to you has come,” he said.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that the police were called to keep order in the church.
Referred
Reverend Maseko, on the other hand, said he was not the one who called the police and referred all questions to babe Dube, whom he said was the chairman of the church. Dube asked to be sent a questionnaire as per the church’s policy.
He had not responded at the time of going to print.
This is not the first time that the AEC is involved in a squabble. In 2022, the Eswatini Observer reported that the executive committee filed an urgent application at the High Court against Sipho Roman Maseko, seeking to interdict him and all under him from calling a meeting of the general membership of the applicant.
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