Rev Ndoni
… Masvingo pastors set to
be removed
Moses
Ziyambi
The intriguing factional
fights in the Apostolic Faith Mission threaten to decimate the church in
Masvingo, with many congregants now staying away from services to protest what they
consider to be disgraceful squabbles driven by greed.
At least two pastors from
local assemblies are likely to be pushed out of their positions at the behest
of powerful elders who reportedly want to create room for their own pliable
pastors.
The two pastors that are
facing increasing pressure from their elders are Pastor Morgen Ngwaru of Faith
Centre assembly in Rujeko and Reverend Salatiel Madziva of City Centre assembly.
Recently, there was also
a serious tiff between Pastor Charumbira of Greater Grace assembly in Rujeko
and a group of elders but the quarrel seems to have subsided a bit after the
two sides noticed the assembly was collapsing.
Many disappointed congregants
had by then since stopped going to church as a way of expressing their disgust.
The pastors are believed
to be aligned to Rev Cosam Chiyangwa who leads a faction which is fighting
tooth and nail against the Rev Aspher Madziire and Rev Amon Madawu’s attempts
to amend the AFM constitution.
The contested amendments
seek to give greater power to church elders while stripping pastors of the
privilege to receive money directly from their congregants through gifts known
as ‘appreciation’. The divide has consequently seen most pastors siding with
the Chiyangwa camp while elders have largely taken sides with the
Madziire-Madawu faction.
Sources told TellZim News
a caucus of elders from Faith Centre, City Centre, Greater Grace and Mucheke
assemblies were plotting to push out at least one of the pastors and make room
for Nemanwa-based overseer, Rev Enock Matambanadzo who is said to be devotedly
anti-Chiyangwa.
Ngwaru and Madziva are
also among other pastors who were reportedly pressurised by their elders not to
attend a recent three-day provincial conference held at Mucheke Provincial
Stand, on the basis that it was organised by the Chiyangwa faction.
The conference, which
began many hours late on November 09 after the Madziire-Madawu loyalists led by
one Sadzauchi refused to release the PA system, was also boycotted by many
pastors and church members from the opposing faction.
When contacted for
comment, Ngwaru acknowledged there was tension between him and his elders
emanating from attempts to twist facts. This came after he angrily chided his
elders in front of congregants for allegedly lying to the church that he had
finally agreed to back the Madziire-Mudawu faction.
“I have never agreed with
anybody that we will take this or that side. I remain removed from any conflict.
I was therefore surprised that people wanted to put me into a certain corner
without my agreement. It was done in my absence and when I came back, I
rejected it and made it clear we must take only God’s side. So, it’s a pastors
vs elders thing,” said Ngwaru.
When asked if he was not
worried by reports of plots being hatched to smear and ultimately push him away,
and whether or not his relationship with his elders was perfect, Ngwaru said he
was not worried by what goes around behind his back.
“I have an excellent
relationship with the congregation but it’s obvious a rift has been created
between me and the elders. I am here because of God’s calling and I will
continue to do my work regardless,” said Ngwaru.
He however, skirted
questions on whether he had been forced not to attend the provincial
conference, saying he had been away on a more pressing programme.
Mhangarai Magumise, one
of the elders alleged to be at the centre of the plot, said the feud which saw
Ngwaru calling them out in front of congregants had since been resolved.
“On that one, we later had
a meeting with him. We were together with people from the province when we
talked about it. You can ask them about the issue,” said Magumise.
He said reports that
local church elders were working to push out either Ngwaru or Madziva to create
space for Matambambanadzo were not true.
A leaked WhatsApp
conversation purportedly among other elders only identified as Shava,
Sanangurai and Nemaramba, however, lands credence to the plot.
“Ngwaru takapedza naye,
chasara kupa simba rose kuna Matamba (We are done with Ngwaru, we are just yet
to give his position to Matambanadzo),” part of the chat reads.
Another source said the
reform caucus was also planning to use Madziva’s relatively advanced age
against him by arguing that he must retire and give way to fresh blood.
When contacted for
comment, Madziva said he was not feeling well and was seeking treatment in
Harare, promising to give a comment later. Numerous subsequent attempts to get
in touch with him yielded nothing as he did not pick up his phone.
Masvingo overseer, Rev Donard
Ndoni, who is alleged to be a strong member of the Chiyangwa faction in the
province, acknowledged there were worries in the church but said reports of
serious infighting were an exaggeration.
“We are working. Yes,
there are worries like everywhere else, but we are not bothered. There are
people who are exaggerating this because as far as I know, we are working well
with elders and pastors,” said Ndoni.
He acknowledged, however,
that they had to break the door after some people had withheld keys to the PA
system on the first day of the provincial conference.
On his part, Matambanadzo
said he harboured no ambition to move to Masvingo, saying he knew of no such
plots to remove some pastors. When asked why then he did not attend the
provincial conference, Matambanadzo said he stayed away because the event was
unprocedural.
“Things are done
according to channels….yes it was out of channel,” said Matambanadzo before
cutting the call and later handing the phone over to a female who claimed to be his ‘legal
practitioner’.
