Infighting rocks CCAP Blantyre Synod over ‘church cashgate’

Trouble continues in the Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) of Blantyre Synod as men of God’s continue to fight each other over church’s leadership style Nyasa Times can reveal.

General Secretary of the Synod Reverend  Alex Maulana is fighting with one of his strong critic of his leadership, Reverend Stanley Chimesya.

According to a letter that Nyasa Times has sourced, Rev Chimesya who is also Prison Chaplain has called for an independent committee to investigate a number of financial anomalies and abuse of Synod resources by his General Secretary Rev Maulana.

Chimesya, who has copied the letter to all Synod departments, church moderators, Synod board members ,Synod treasurers, Human Resources  and Presbytery clerks, responds to an  internal memo which Rev Maulana is reportedly to have written advising and warning all church leaders  and committees of financial mismanagement and other anomalies.

In the letter Chimesya observed that even the  General Secretary himself is not above management policy as he is also answerable to the Synod on lots of anomalies that his  office is caught up with which needs proper explanations.

According to Chimesya he has asked for explanation from the Rev Maulana on the bank overdraft the Synod got from National Bank worth K13 million which they didn’t disclose to church members even moderators. He said there has been no explanation on the use of the money.

He claims he has objective evidence of the issue and call upon Rev Maulana to defend and justify why the Synod had to accumulate K13 million bank overdraft when the church collect huge sums of money from each members , rentals and others fees.
“Please defend this issue and if it is true how possible the Synod of Blantyre could accumulate that huge overdraft yet the Synod collects millions of kwachas from Blantyre City Presbytery alone, collects millions from rental fees, collects millions from other Presbyteries and other sources

“Let me point out that if this is true please know that this is a very serious matter, which has to be attended with urgency otherwise it can lead Synod into closing down. Please be advised that a lot of our CCAP members working at the National Bank of Malawi are very worried and some have since stopped paying pledge money”, Chimesya  wrote in his letter.

Maulana who was appointed as board chair of National Food Reserve Agency ( NFRA )  by President Peter Mutharika and is also chair of Malawi Council of Churches  has also been accused of claiming travelling allowances , fuel and accommodation from the church whenever is going out for meeting which has nothing to do with the church but NFRA or MCC meetings.

“Apparently your office is caught up in abusive and serious misuse of money in excessive external trips and allowances to non Synod core obligations such as the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) and National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) where you are both chairperson.

“Is it true that from these two bodies you have been claiming millions of kwachas from Synod on fuel, accommodation and duty allowances which upon your return after been refunded have not found its way back into Synod coffers/purse? This is what we hear from the custodians of money, if this is true; is this not another  cashgate and anomaly in the Synod? “queries Rev Chimesya.

Chimesya has also questioned the accidents which Maulana has been involved where two of Synod cars have been destroyed and money spent on it , demanding an independence inquiry as he claims he knows what exactly has been happening and that he got the report from Namadzi police officers who were first to arrive at the scene of Maulana’s accident.