Refugee pastor refuses to let go, stresses his point

AFTER a failed attempt to regain control of his business premises on Monday, Pastor Pascal Hakizimana, the Burundian leader of Christ Disciples Fellowship (CDF), remained adamant yesterday that he had been unlawfully evicted from the Shalom Centre 2 building on the outskirts of Windhoek.

In August, Pascal is said to have disappeared from the country overnight, leaving volunteers at his centre without payment or assistance for the 100-plus vulnerable children receiving food and other care there. When he returned in December, Hakizimana found that his supporters (“not donors”, he says) had formed a new organisation named Child Development Foundation, and were using his shelter for their work.What’s more, the land owners – the Scripture Union (SU) of Namibia – said that by disappearing without a trace for as long as he had, Hakizimana was in breach of his contract with them, thus giving them the right to terminate the agreement.Stating his case to The Namibian yesterday, Hakizimana said that as far as he was concerned he was still the legal occupant of the disputed plot, thanks in great part to the leaders of the new Child Development Foundation.His former “supporters” included Prowealth, Hertz Rent-a-Car, and the Reformed Church, all of which have now turned around to form the new organisation, he says.Prowealth’s support came in the form of paying his rent up to April 2007; while Hertz provided transport whenever he organised events; and the Reformed Church sponsored three camps a year, provided food for these camps, and paid an allowance to Hakizimana.”So you see, my agreement with Prowealth only expires in April and that means my rent was never late.They’ve been paying for me all this time.So (Stan) Rousseau (site manager for the SU) can’t say that I didn’t pay and that I’m in arrears,” Hakizimana said yesterday.”Even the municipality bills still recognise me as the occupant of the plot,” he said, showing the reporter a municipal bill dated December 2006 and addressed to “Christ Disciple Fellowship”.Why Hakizimana left remains a bone of contention.The pastor argues that he went on holiday to Zimbabwe in August, and that on his way back he was involved in an accident.This situation, he claims, forced him to remain out of the country for an additional two-and-a-half months, and didn’t allow him much contact with people here.When he returned in December, Hakizimana found that his supporters (“not donors”, he says) had formed a new organisation named Child Development Foundation, and were using his shelter for their work.What’s more, the land owners – the Scripture Union (SU) of Namibia – said that by disappearing without a trace for as long as he had, Hakizimana was in breach of his contract with them, thus giving them the right to terminate the agreement.Stating his case to The Namibian yesterday, Hakizimana said that as far as he was concerned he was still the legal occupant of the disputed plot, thanks in great part to the leaders of the new Child Development Foundation.His former “supporters” included Prowealth, Hertz Rent-a-Car, and the Reformed Church, all of which have now turned around to form the new organisation, he says.Prowealth’s support came in the form of paying his rent up to April 2007; while Hertz provided transport whenever he organised events; and the Reformed Church sponsored three camps a year, provided food for these camps, and paid an allowance to Hakizimana.”So you see, my agreement with Prowealth only expires in April and that means my rent was never late.They’ve been paying for me all this time.So (Stan) Rousseau (site manager for the SU) can’t say that I didn’t pay and that I’m in arrears,” Hakizimana said yesterday.”Even the municipality bills still recognise me as the occupant of the plot,” he said, showing the reporter a municipal bill dated December 2006 and addressed to “Christ Disciple Fellowship”.Why Hakizimana left remains a bone of contention.The pastor argues that he went on holiday to Zimbabwe in August, and that on his way back he was involved in an accident.This situation, he claims, forced him to remain out of the country for an additional two-and-a-half months, and didn’t allow him much contact with people here.