Munyika to head Elcin’s Western Diocese

The Church Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (Elcin) has elected Reverend Veikko Munyika as the new head the Western Diocese, replacing Bishop Josephat Shanghala who is retiring early next year. Munyika was elected by the Church Synod at Ongwediva last weekend. He was one of the defeated candidates during the Church Synod that elected bishops Shanghala and Shekutamba Nambala in 2010. However, he fared better this time, shrugging off a challenge from pastors Emuno Iiyambo and Wilbard Shikesho. Munyika obtained 48 votes, while Iiyambo and Shikesho garenered 14 and four votes respectively. He will be installed in his new position in February next year. Church members who spoke to Namibian Sun expressed mixed feelings about the new bishop. Some have expressed the hope that he would bring an end to internal squabbles and the apparent uneasy relationship between Nambala and Shanghala, but others are sceptical. “This is politics and the new bishop can do practically nothing to restore harmony in the church,” said a church member on condition of anonymity. The squabbles erupted earlier this year when bishop Shanghala transferred Okahao Pastor Hulda Shau-Aitana to another parish, but she refused and her supporters accused Shanghala of autocratic leadership, while the bishop’s supporters countered alleging that the cleric’s disobedience enjoyed the blessing of bishop Nambala. The bishop-elect was ordained pastor in 1980 and earned his PhD in systematic theology from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in 1997. He has played a major role in the church’s HIV/Aids response, helping establish Elcin’s AIDS Action and serving on the HIV advisory programme of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA). After a stint as Elcin’s secretary-general, he moved to Geneva in 2008 where he served as HIV/Aids co-ordinator of the Lutheran World Federation.