“Ndo da u ni sumbedza murangaphanda wa vhoiwe, o dzhenaho tshiimoni tsha khotsi awe (I am here to introduce you to your leader who is taking his Father ‘s position)”, said Makhadzi Elizabeth Kone as she stroke her walking stick against the concrete stage surface at the UAAC ‘s Holy Palace on Saturday 24 April 2021 @13h39, whilst introducing Archbishop Itani Joseph Mureri to the UAAC faithful.
The Archbishop sat between both his aunties (Vho-Makhadzi Sarah Tshililo & Vho-Makhadzi Elizabeth Kone) as per custom.
The announcement was was greeted with deafening ululations, whistling and honking horns as all members celebrated the 1st official announcement by the Matriarch of the Mureri family since the appointment of Archbishop IJ Mureri on 20 January 2020.
Eyes welled up as the UAAC faithful celebrated the occasion which also marked the official robing of the church ‘s Spiritual Leader. Clad in his Father ‘s blue, white and gold robes, the Archbishop ‘s trademark right-hand greeting gesture invoked even more tears as church members reminisced about their most loved Archbishop Dr EMM Mureri who sadly departed in December 2018.
The occasion was a prelude to the Sunday service which was first for the Archbishop since 30 December 2018 when he attended his Father ‘s funeral service at the same venue.
The atmosphere was even more exhilarating on Sunday 25 April 2021 when more people arrived at the Holy Palace to spend the day with the Archbishop. All departmental heads and general membership pledged their allegiance to their Archbishop. They unanimously thanked Vho-Makhadzi and Vhakoma for their for their splendid leadership before the installation of the Archbishop. In his short speech, which was mainly lacedwith intermittent singing, the Archbishop thanked both the two Vho-Makhadzi, Vhakoma (his mother) and Vho-Leah (Father ‘s junior wife) for extending warm arms to all UAAC members since the departure of his Father. He concluded his speech by imploring all UAAC members to prioritise prayer above everything else.
Whilst the day was cut short due to Covid-19 restrictions which stipulated that only 2 hours could be spent on a gathering, it will certainly go down in history amongst the most memorable and eventful ones.
God bless the UAAC.
Rugare!!