MBABANE - While his supporters had gathered at the High Court to hear the application to interdict his transfer, Reverend Canon Advent Nhlanhla Dlamini was yesterday served with a letter revoking his pastoral licence.
In the letter which was signed by Anglican Church Bishop of Eswatini, Right Reverend Dr Dalcy Dlamini, Nhlanhla was informed that the cancellation of his licence would be with effect from November 1, 2023. In the letter, Reverend Canon Nhlanhla was informed that he allegedly did not heed the bishop’s instructions about his transfer, nor did he request an extension to notify her about his decision. The bishop went on to inform him that she received a letter from Robinson Bertram law firm, which was representing the wardens and they requested to go to mediation, to which she agreed.
Served
He was reportedly served with the letter before the bishop was served with the court application. The letter is dated August 1, 2023. “Having noted that no pastoral ministration is possible and your refusal to accept the transfer, we are giving you a notice that your licence stands revoked as of November 1, 2023 in terms of Canon 25(7),” reads part of the letter, which now forms part of the legal proceedings. The bishop went on to implore Rector Advent Nhlanhla to consider his stand of refusing to be transferred, yet his ministry was required at the Mhlume Parish. The letter forms part of the submissions that were made by the bishop’s Lawyer, Mayibongwe Mntungwa in court yesterday. The letter of revocation is subsequent to another, which was written to Reverend Nhlanhla by the Registrar of the Diocese of Eswatini, Mbuso Simelane. It was in the letter dated July 31, 2023, that Reverend Canon Nhlanhla was informed that the church had agreed to submit the dichotomy between the bishop, wardens and the church members of the Cathedral Parish to mediation. According to the letter, Reverend Canon Advent Nhlanhla was given until July 31, 2023 to consider the transfer to the Mhlume Parish that had been previously halted.
It was further in that correspondence, which had been annexed to the court documents, that he was informed that, if he did not accept the transfer on or before July 31, 2023, then he would leave on November 1, 2023, but the door for consultation on the time frame remained open within the three months. Before the matter went to court and the revocation of Reverend Nhlanhla’s pastoral licence, the bishop, in a correspondence to lawyers, narrated the events leading to the impasse between the parties. She stated that the matter of All Saints was painful and characterised by many meetings and voluminous letters exchanged between the parties. The correspondence was directed to lawyers who had been instructed to call upon her to immediately withdraw the transfer of Rector Advent Nhlanhla.
Lawyers
The leadership of the Cathedral Paris in Mbabane, represented by All Saints Church Wardens, has since approached lawyers from Robison Bertram to act on their behalf after the bishop purportedly continued with the transfer of Reverend Nhlanhla. In the correspondence written by the lawyers, a demand was made to the bishop to immediately retract the letter transferring Reverend Canon Nhlanhla, pending resolution of the concerns contained in the Safe and Inclusive Church Reporting Form, as well as the delivery of the findings of the task team. The bishop is reported to have declined to withdraw the letter transferring Reverend Canon Nhlanhla. “We note that in the tone of your letter, you have instructions to go to court if we do not withdraw our letter, of which we respectful wish to decline your request, reads part of the response from the bishop. She was responding to correspondence wherein, she was called upon to immediately withdraw the transfer of Rector Advent Nhlanhla.
It was alleged by the bishop that, the wardens showed discomfort at the appointment of the task team. She said, at first, they demanded the terms of reference which she had set on April 16, 2023. The bishop further alleged that after that, they wanted to be part of the task team membership so that during meetings they would wear two hats, of being a task team member and warden. They also allegedly complained that some members of the task team were conflicted. She said, it was worth noting that Reverend Canon Nhlanhla had allegedly disowned the action of the Cathedral to demand that he be made rector for life and also lamented the uncanonical and Biblical wrong withholding of the tithes and church offering used as a form of blackmail so that he would retire at All Saints Cathedral, which renunciation statement he made before the bishop and chapter.
