HARARE - Peace-loving Zimbabweans from across the Christian and political divide last week hailed a Supreme Court decision that brought an end to defrocked Nolbert Kunonga’s five year reign of terror.

However, while the judgement was good in all aspects, it came as a poisoned chalice for our police force.
Police are yet to respond to claims that they were used to abate Kunonga’s excesses and today they find themselves between the proverbial hard place and a rock.

Now commissioner general Augustine Chihuri, will have to embarrassingly order his police to evict Kunonga and his surrogates  from the Anglican Church premises across the country as ordered by the Supreme Court.
 
The unholy alliance between the police and Kunonga that caused untold suffering on the Church of God and congregants now puts police in a very unenviable situation and the whole nation waits with bated breath for them to act.

With reports coming through that some of Kunonga’s sidekicks have been waving a defiant fist against a lawful order to vacate the churches they had invaded, it remains to be seen how the police will handle this one. It is indeed a litmus test for the state.

It has been a very bad three months for the police. Two months ago, they were forced to descend heavily on Zanu PF proxies going by the name Chipangano who have been wreaking havoc in Harare resulting in total lawlessness in the former Sunshine City.

It should be noted though that the police action was only inspired by an unprovoked attack by Chipangano on two members of the military and the soldiers took it upon themselves to get rid of the thugs at bus termini. Police only intervened after the soldiers.

Now the apex court has delivered another fly on the wall for the law enforcement agents.

 The police have no option but to enforce the Supreme Court ruling. This means they have to swallow their pride and boot out Kunonga’s people and those who supported his illegal acts.

 Kunonga once wrote a letter to Chihuri thanking him for his support in denying Anglicans their basic right to freedom of worship.

This was unacceptable and Chihuri should never have even accommodated this rogue bishop.

In more democratic countries, Chihuri would have been in soup for allowing Kunonga to display his thuggery but this is Zimbabwe where anything goes.

Ours is not a normal society and expecting such action is taking democracy a tad too far. - Staff Writer