Suicide man not Zaoga church member

HARARE – Zaoga Forward in Faith International church has refuted a report that one of its elders in Bikita impregnated three members of his congregation before committing suicide.

In an interview last week, the secretary-general of the church, Dr Washington Rupapa, said investigations revealed that the man at the centre of the alleged controversy was not a Zaoga FIF member.

He said the probe was instituted after the leadership sought to get to the bottom of the matter in line with a standing policy that guides the administration and spiritual running of the church.

“The church has a membership register of all its members. Therefore, it could not be difficult for us to ascertain whether Mr Manasa Kunedzimwe (as stated in your paper) held any eldership position.

“According to our church’s policy, which guides the administrative and spiritual running of the church, if a member commits such sin, the church is entitled to discipline such a member. It was when the follow up was done that the pastor who shepherds the Bikita church established that no such name existed in our register in the present nor in the past.”

Last month, The Sunday Mail published a story headlined “Church elder impregnates 3, commits suicide” in which it reported that the man at the centre of the alleged controversy was a senior Zaoga FIF member.

It, however, later emerged that he was, in fact, a member of a different congregation. Dr Rupapa added: “Mr Kombere Mungazi, who has been an elder at ZAOGA FIF Bikita church since 1998, professes ignorance of the said person ever becoming a member of their church.”