Anglicans want bishop Malasa out over allegations of funds abuse, greed

Anglican Bishop of the Upper Shire Diocese Rt. Reverend Brighton Vitta Malasa has come under intense fire for allegedly embezzling donor funds meant for Church projects, greed and power hungry, according to leaked communication seen by Nyasa Times.

The Anglican Church’s predominantly Eastern Region diocese has 41 parishes and out of these, representatives of 37 parishes met at St.George’s Parish in Zomba on Saturday where they agreed to remove Malasa from office.

The church delegates discussed  allegations of Malasa’s illegal appointment of people into senior Church positions in the Diocese, corruption, purchasing of Church materials without following proper procedures, ill-treating fellow Bishops, adultery, being partisan in politics among other things.

Senior parish representatives that included wardens, also resolved to ban the bishop from visiting all parishes within the diocese’s jurisdiction and agreed to stop forthwith paying their quota, a monthly contribution parishes are required to pay to the diocese.

The parishes accuse Malasa of grabbing board chairmanships of most schools and health facilities in the Upper Shire Diocese, including St.Michael’s Girls Secondary School in Malindi,  Mangochi, Malosa Secondary School,St. Luke’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Nursing School in Zomba, St. Martin Hospital in Malindi, Matope Health Centre and Nkope Health Centre and School for the Blind.

“We receive funding from abroad to assist Parishes that are under the Upper Shire by among other things paying priests and other church projects but the money is diverted into Bishop Malasa’s pocket. He has reached a point of challenging that he is the richest Bishop the whole of Upper Shire Diocese,” one of the Anglican who attendeD the meeting said .

The parishes further accused Malasa of receiving bribes from parents looking to have their children enrolled in various Anglican Schools under the Upper Shire Diocese.

“He has been using the money in building personal houses and he also give his wife church funds to invest in various businesses,” he said.

The Bishop is also accused of purchasing goods without the approval of the church procurement committee as it is required by the Church rules and regulations.

For example, the Bishop reportedly purchased a brand new motor vehicle from Toyota Malawi without telling anyone, raising fears that he might have benefited from the deal.

As that is not all, Malasa is also accused of promiscuity.

It is alleged that the Bishop has children with a number of women and the church council members has evidence on this.

Malasa came under fire in November 2017 for allegedly hand picking and hiring Mrs. Brenda Zembeni Maganga as Diocesan Secretary.

According to a letter seen by Nyasa Times, dated November 10 2018 addressed to the Bishop and signed by 23 members calling themselves ‘concerned citizens’ from St. George’s Anglican Church, the group acussed Malasa of employing Zembeni Maganga without using proper channel and even consulting the leadership of the entire Upper Shire Diocese.

“We the undersigned writing in our capacity as concerned members of St.George’s Parish in Zomba hereby submit to you our serious concern about the appointment of Mrs. Brenda Zembeni Maganga as the Diocesan Secretary of the Diocese of the Upper Shire as announced in your email of 1st November 2017,”read part of the letter.

According to the Diocesan Act, the diocesan standing committee(DSC) is entitled to appoint the Diocesan Secretary with the consent of the Bishop.

Malasa has declined to comment, saying the diocese would issue a statement on its position on the matters.

In a letter dated December 15 2018, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi, Fanuel Magangani, wrote Malasa expressing the council’s concern with the developments and that as a council; they commissioned Bishop Alinafe Kalemba of the Diocese of Southern Malawi to mediate in the issue to find a solution.

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