Diocesan Office
biography of Gokwe
since 24 February 2017
Rev. Fr. Tonderai Sola was born on 19 November in Zimbabwe. Inspired by the life of the Church and the example of priests serving their communities, he discerned a vocation to the priesthood and entered seminary formation. He studied philosophy and theology before being ordained to the priesthood on 20 July 2013 by Bishop Angelo Floro Martinez for the Diocese of Gokwe. After his ordination he served in several pastoral assignments within the diocese. He later became Pastoral Director of the Diocese of Gokwe, coordinating pastoral programs, evangelization activities and formation initiatives throughout the diocese.
Beyond the diocese, he serves on the Anglican Consultative Council and advocates for climate resilience in semi-arid regions. His pastoral letters—translated into Shona and Ndebele—are read in parishes from Gokwe centre to the border of Lake Kariba.
biography Martin frequently speaks of a "self-sustaining, spiritually deep church". Under his leadership, the diocese has invested in poultry projects, a small press for prayer books in local languages, and a scholarship fund for ordinands from remote villages. He continues to confirm hundreds of candidates each year, travelling by rugged dirt roads.
His biography would be incomplete without mention of his family: his wife Alice (a teacher) and their four children remain actively involved in parish life. The biography often jokes that his "real education" came from listening to grandmothers under msasa trees.