HARARE – He might have been banished to jail for the next 40 years but disgraced Pastor Robert Martin Gumbura is reportedly still running the church from prison.
According to reports, deacons from the RMG Independent End Time Message Church have to consult Gumbura on all matters related to the church and the convicted rapist remains the sole signatory to the church bank accounts.
The church is reportedly trying to negotiate the lifting of a suspension by the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ). The ACCZ head, Johannes Ndanga has told them to present a new leadership structure.
“You must elect an acting pastor to run the church and remove the acronym RMG from the church’s name because it is now associated with a criminal. If we let a convict run the church, it will be out of order because he is regarded as a criminal,” Ndanga is quoted as saying.
Ndanga has since advised the church to hold an extraordinary general meeting to effect these changes and that they also take care of Gumbura’s family which consists of 11 wives and 30 children.
In January this year Gumbura was convicted on four counts of raping church congregants. He is currently serving a 40-year prison term but has appealed to the High Court and is currently still trying to get bail.
