Does the Anglican Church own Zimbabwe’s Parliament building as claimed on social media?
A post on Twitter on October 31 claimed that “the current building used by the government as the parliament is owned by the Anglican Church”.
This is not the first time the claim has appeared on social media. But what are the facts?
According to Parliament’s own records, this is not true. The building is, in fact, owned by the Government. However, the confusion arises from the fact that the Parliament rents offices at the adjacent Pax House. That building is owned by the Anglican Church, which sits next to Parliament.
What is the history of the Parliament building’s ownership?
According to Parliament records, the building was first built as a hotel, called Cecil Hotel, not long after the establishment of the British colony in 1890. The Anglican Church was allocated land, separately, next to the hotel.
The hotel was later sold to the British South African Company (BSAC). The BSAC’s administration of the colony ended in 1923, and many of the company’s assets were transferred to the settler government. This included the Cecil Hotel. The colonial government used the hotel as an administration facility.
Conclusion
False. Zimbabwe’s Parliament building is not owned by the Anglican Church. The building is owned by the Government. The Church, however, owns an adjacent property, where Parliament rents offices.
