Zimbabwean bishop arrested in the UK

By Lance Guma

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GLASGOW – Archbishop Dr Walter Masocha who leads the “Agape for All Nations Ministries International” Church was on Thursday arrested by police in Scotland and charged with various sexual offences among other charges he is facing.

Masocha who was handcuffed and read his rights, is being detained at Falkirk Police Station and will appear at the Sterling Sheriff Court on Monday.

We understand several victims filed reports against him and because of this, the exact number and nature of the charges, will be clearer at the first hearing.

In October last year Nehanda Radio exclusively reported how he allegedly abused a 31-year old mother, Jean Gasho.

Gasho opened up to Nehanda Radio about what she claimed was the abuse she suffered at the hands of Archbishop Masocha and his church.

Budding writing Gasho told us “I want my story to be heard because people need to be made aware of the dangers of these arising Pentecostal churches and self-styled religious leaders and prophets who abuse people and take advantage of vulnerable people especially women.”

Gasho says the church left her with a broken marriage and homeless with three children after it allegedly subjected her to cruelty, abuse and bullying. Gasho and her husband of 11 years attended the church for two years in which she claims they became financially ruined as the church demanded all their wages.

“At one time my husband and I gave £600 to the church leader (Dr Masocha) on top of the other monies we were paying at Church and as a result we ended up with bailiffs (Messengers of Court) knocking on our door.

“Our financial situation was so serious that we could not afford to feed our three children and social services almost took the children from us and I attempted to take my own life and ended up in hospital as our situation was hopeless.

“Because I tried to take my own life, I started being bullied in the Church as the leaders said I was possessed and had demons that needed to be cast out. I wanted to leave the church because it was not helping me, we became worse off financially. But my husband insisted we had to continue going there,” she said.

Gasho said she was often restrained by male leaders without her consent as they said she was possessed.

“If I refused to be part of the church the leaders said I was not normal and needed deliverance. At one point I found myself locked in a room and pinned to the floor by two men “praying for me,” she said.

“I told them that what they were doing was wrong and I wanted to go and sit in the car outside and they said it was not me talking but the demon in me.

“The final straw was when my mother in law Febbie Musuka and my sister in law Gertrude Musuka (who is a pastor in the church) called an ambulance for me to be sectioned in front of the whole church saying I was mental and not capable of looking after my children.

“They told the paramedics that I was a bad mother and was living in poverty and my children were malnourished. The paramedics found nothing mentally wrong with me or my children. They refused to section me and my sister in law who is a mental health nurse threatened to call the police.

“The police were called on the scene and they found nothing wrong with me. It was a cruel public humiliation that led to my husband being violent towards me and I fled my house with my 3 children.

“The police are currently investigating another case of sexual abuse I suffered in the church and my sister in law is currently being investigated by the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) for gross misconduct because she used her position as a mental health nurse to abuse me.

“The step daughter of the church leader (Sandra Masocha) also used to make me do her University School work towards her degree exams. I was told that if I did her university work I would get blessings from God because she was the step daughter of the Archbishop (Prophet), the Church leader.

“I reported the case to the University (Forth Valley College in Scotland) and they investigated her and found her guilty of Student Dishonesty thus she will not be graduating in her degree,” Gasho claimed.

So determined was Gasho she set up her own blog (He was Daddy) to document her abuse at the hands of Agape for All Nations Ministries International and Archbishop Dr Walter Masocha. Several other victims came forward and used her blog to document their own experiences. This led police in Scotland to act.

Girl Child Network founder Betty Makoni told Nehanda Radio:

“Whereas the full details of the exact charges Masocha faces have been not been made available to us we welcome the bold steps of those who have pressed on charges.

“Meanwhile we have a platform formed on social media which makes it possible for more victims to come forward to many of our professional teams to open up and get help.

“So far some senior leaders of the church have reported to us they have many victims who in the past feared to report.

“On our part we have formed a trusted volunteer community support network and should more cases come out we will forward them.

“Meanwhile people can sign a petition going round the Internet so that the UK government takes the matter with the urgency it deserves.

“Reporting sexual violence is not that easy and especially if you come to think how brain washed some of the victims were. On 1 March a formal event has been put together and it is called Victim No More and the aim is to break silence and that is why all of us stand by the victims of Masocha at this stage.

“It is shocking what we are getting at the moment and if true the victims maybe many. What is worrying are women and girls subjected to this abuse and they are failed asylum seekers. They fear that going to police may result in deportation,” Makoni said.

Several officials from Agape Ministries contacted by Nehanda Radio kept up their official line that Gasho is not mentally stable and that we should not be interviewing her. Asked to respond to the allegations, we were initially promised a statement but this was never issued at the time.

First we were told that Dr Masocha was away on business in Greece and this explained the delay in them issuing their statement. “We will have a meeting and give you a statement later,” said the official. Later on the official made a u-turn and said they would not be commenting on the matter.

A recent statement on the AGAPE official website says:

“Since many of the accusations and statements posted on the social platform could be considered libellous, the Archbishop, Prophetess and senior leadership are receiving legal advice on the whole matter and do not wish to comment on the details of this at the current time.

“We want to thank and appreciate all the saints, stewards, attaches, envoys, commissioners and Board members who have supported each other, the vision, the ministry, and have continued to worship and serve God during this storm.

“As a ministry we draw the lessons learnt and accordingly we are reviewing our practices to minimise the risk of any similar situation arising in the future and to provide effective, timely support for those involved with such difficult situations.

“We reiterate that nothing we say or do in Agape is meant to direct our worship at any individual; only the Triune God (God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit),” the AGAPE statement read.

Meanwhile Nehanda Radio received and continues to receive threats from different church members over the publication of this and other stories on the church.

To contact this journalist email [email protected]