Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - September 19, 2004
Subashni Naidoo, Johannesburg
The headquarters of the Catholic Church is now to send an emissary to South Africa to try to solve the problems with the controversial Sister Priscilla Dlamini, who heads the Holy Cross Hospice in Emoyeni.
Dlamini was recently nominated for the Shoprite Checkers-SABC2 Woman of the Year award, where she was described as "a Catholic nun since age 15 who single-handedly converted old stables into a haven for destitute HIV patients".
But 55-year-old Dlamini, who once admitted to hitting a fellow nun for "putting muti in my room", also has her critics, not least because of her habit of carrying a pistol.
The escalation in the row follows angry parishioners storming into a national bishops' meeting last month to demand that Dlamini be removed from the mission.
Angry parishioners, together with other representatives from churches in surrounding areas, went to the meeting in Marianhill to demand that their concerns be addressed, said Father Sifiso Ntshangase, who left the Holy Cross Church last year after a quarrel with Dlamini.
Former treasurer of the Holy Cross Church Johannes Ndlovu, who accompanied parishioners to the meeting, said they demanded to know why Dlamini had not been removed from the church even after they made numerous complaints to the Bishop of Eshowe.
"It seems as though our bishop is failing to protect the church and the parishioners. Bishop Monswaik Biyasi told Cardinal Wilfrid Napier that he tried to move her but she resisted. We demanded that the cardinal take the matter to higher authority."
Ndlovu said he received a call from Napier a few weeks ago, asking him to convey a message to the people that the Vatican had been asked to intervene to resolve the issue.
Napier's secretary, Carlene Mettler, said: "The Vatican will appoint someone to go to the Diocese of Eshowe to investigate and resolve the situation."
Father Mulabarickal Jacob, who is the secretary to Archbishop Blanco Collacco, the Pope's representative in SA , said they were awaiting the appointment from the Vatican.
Dlamini refused to comment to the Sunday Times but claimed that the allegations made against her were untrue. She asked the Sunday Times team to leave the mission.
Apart from the parishioners, at least 15 former staff members, including three priests, five caregivers, two treasurers, two secretaries and the chairman of the parish council, have complained about Dlamini's leadership style at Holy Cross.
Relations between Dlamini and the priests and parishioners deteriorated so much that almost the entire congregation has left the church and now holds services at a community hall.
The final straw, though, was when the 71-year-old golden tabernacle - which holds the holy sacrament - was stolen three weeks ago.
The gold box, which was housed in a wooden safe, went missing three weeks ago along with electricity cables, fans, sound equipment and a bore-hole machine.
Biyasi said he was concerned about the missing tabernacle and hoped it would be returned.
Ntshangase said he was furious when he heard the tabernacle had been stolen. "I can't believe that somebody could do such an evil thing. This is a serious matter because the people of the church are suffering and we can't sit back and do nothing."
Superintendent Mandla Mhlongo of the Mtunzini Police Station said the theft was being investigated.
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