A founding pastor of a local Pentecostal church has approached the courts seeking a protection order against his small house after she threatened to expose stories of their relationship in the media.

Breakthrough Ministries founder, Pastor George Moyo together with his wife Josephine Dube – Moyo approached Harare magistrate courts seeking to bar Sicelo Dube from ‘causing untold suffering in their marriage.’ Pastor Moyo and his wife Josephine are the overseers of Breakthrough Ministries; a Pentecostal church based in Bulawayo and has several branches in other cities.

The two approached the courts on 21 November 2012.

The couple, in their founding told the court that they are married in terms of the Marriage Act Chapter 5:11 and accused Sicelo of refusing to be dumped by the man of God and clinging on to him.

“The respondent and second applicant (pastor Moyo) had an adulterous affair sometime in 2011 which has since been terminated.

“Although the second applicant has terminated the relationship, the respondent still wants to cling on to my husband thereby causing untold suffering in our marriage,” reads the affidavit.

The couple further submits that the responded ‘even threatened to publish tarnishing stories and stories of her relationship with the second applicant through the media.’

They are also seeking protection against Sicelo’s violent nature as it is said that on numerous occasions, the pastor’s wife allegedly received telephone calls threatening her life and that of her husband.

Sicelo is also being accused of causing pandemonium, at pastor Moyo’s work place, Breakthrough Ministries accusing the wife of preventing her from claiming maintenance from the man of God.

In their submission, they prayed to the court to restrain Sicelo from calling them, texting and approaching them in public in order to start a verbal altercation.

Looking at the cross-section of the questions that I receive through this column, two requests stand out.

Many people say they are failing to recognise their purpose. Others feel that they are pursuing dreams that are not producing results.

Today I will address those that feel that they are harvesting wind out of their hard labour. Let us do that by checking the soundness of the founding charter of your life.

Sometimes we struggle in life because our belief system is the problem, our philosophy is inhibiting us or the methodology is wrong. Revisit your charter, the problem is probably your constitution.

People hold opinions based on how they were introduced to life. Are you certain the birth canal that carried you to the stage of life is correct? Your introduction to the podium of life affects the rest of your performance.

Probably your issue is not the rule of law, but a constitutional crisis.

You may need to rewrite your personal constitution. People come to the arena of life through lenses of diverse philosophies and are introduced to religion and Christianity through the shade of one of the various doctrines available. If you are a Christian are you sure your doctrine is the true Gospel of Christ?

Your charter defines your values and belief system. You may lead a skewed life the rest of your life unless and until you get the correct revelation from Christ and do the necessary changes and adjustments.

Revisit the introduction that ushered you to the belief system you hold and check if it is not holding you back from accessing and enjoying the full package on offer from life. If there is no light at the end of the tunnel, then come out. Faith does not manifest itself in stupidity and foolishness, but in wisdom.

You may have to revamp and completely overhaul your belief system. Jesus called Nicodemus to a rebirth. John 3:3 reads: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Isn’t your charter blocking you from seeing the Kingdom of God? If your conscience tells you that you are going nowhere, don’t plunge further into the bottomless pit; be humble, honest and sincere enough and cry for help. Some of you that attend cults are convinced your belief is the right one.

The gospel you passionately hold on to; is it the full Gospel of Christ? The gospel should be good news, is it really bringing good to you or it is enslaving you?

Many nations across the motherland had to redo their constitutions in order to meet their aspirations. As a Christian you have to model your charter on biblical principles. As a starting point Joshua 1:8 should be your foundational Scripture.

It reads: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” There are many teachings that if you follow them, you will succeed. Proverbs 22:4 teaches, “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”

The verse is self explanatory. If you are humble and fear God, you are guaranteed of riches, honour and life.

Whether you are a Christian, atheist or politician you need to sit down and question your belief system. I have met people who are so stiff-necked and big-headed that they would rather die than humbling themselves and choose life.

Rewrite your charter the way you want your life to progress. Some of you have good charters that you are not adhering to. Let rule of law start with you. Read the Bible and follow sound doctrine. Follow the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit to structure a viable charter. Love should be the pillar of your charter.

Life has to be viewed and understood through the eyes of the giver who is God. Your creator has a model He gave us to follow. The Bible is very clear that any life outside Jesus is hollow and gets us nowhere. John 14:6 clarifies, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

All you need to do is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
Repent of all sin and follow the paths of righteousness.

Don’t lead a vain life; you are going somewhere.

Zanu PF presidential candidate Robert Mugabe arrives at Apostolic Sect at Mafararikwa Shrine in Marange. (photo: M.Chibaya.)

President Robert Mugabe yesterday begged thousands of members of the Apostolic Sect to vote for him in this month’s make-or-break harmonised elections.

Addressing several thousands members of Apostolic Sect at Mafararikwa Shrine in Marange, Mugabe, who was clad in white robes and holding a staff that is the trademark of the worshippers, promised to address problems faced by the worshippers.

Mugabe — who was accompanied by his wife Grace also clad in white robes — pledged to build a high school for members of the sect. The 89-year-old president urged the members to vote “wisely to safeguard the gains of independence.”

“Your plight is within my heart and we will ensure your wishes are fulfilled once Zanu PF is voted into government,” Mugabe said.

The Zanu PF leader took a swipe at the MDC formations accusing them of “representing the interests of the whites”.

Mugabe, a devout Catholic, slammed white-controlled churches saying they promoted homosexuality.

He repeated his statement that gays and lesbians were “worse than dogs”.

Mugabe said he was surprised that US President, Barack Obama advocated for the rights of homosexuals.

“I am surprised that Obama says gays should have rights, what rights? It is totally against our culture and this demeans us because we don’t associate with such people, I feel pity for our students scattered across borders as they copy these cultures,” he said.

Although church elders predicted a resounding victory for Zanu PF, ordinary church members who spoke to The Standard said they should not be forced to vote for the former ruling party.

“We have our own choices and we will not vote for people who failed to fulfil their promises during their tenure,” said one member who requested anonymity.

Another female member of the church said that for 33 years they have heard the same Zanu PF promises which have not been fulfilled.

Also present at the shrine were Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere, Information minister Webster Shamu, CIO boss Happison Bonyongwe and other senior Zanu PF officials.

Mugabe and Zanu PF’s election loss to the MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2008 shook them and jolted them into action. Since then, Mugabe and Zanu PF are pulling out all the stops to mobilise voters.

The party has been trying hard to endear itself to churches.

The battle for the church vote is not new. in 2010 after MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was forced to cancel his scheduled visit to the Zion Christian Church Mbungo Shrine in Defe, Gokwe, after state security agents reportedly threatened and intimidated the church with unspecified action.

Thousands members of Apostolic Sect at Mafararikwa Shrine in Marange. (photo:M.Chibaya).

This year, Tsvangirai has also been on a religious crusade attending a series of “prayer for peace” rallies, mass prayer meetings mainly organised by the Zimbabwe National Pastors’ Conference, a grouping of mostly Pentecostal church leaders.

Early last year Vice-President Joice Mujuru visited Mafararikwa for the church’s ceremony where she addressed more thousands of people.

Mujuru was assured of more than a million votes. Whether this will materialise or not remains to be seen.

Since then, Mujuru, who is a member of the Salvation Army, has been criss-crossing the country addressing several indigenous church gatherings like the ZCC and the Vapostori sect.

See related reading:

Mobile voter registration at Vapostori door step 

“Mugabe is king”, says Vapostori leader

Zanu PF intensifies campaign among religious groups 

Word of Life ministries has initiated a young adults’ conference that will see young people from different church denominations around Bulawayo being taught life skills.

In an interview with Southern Eye yesterday, the young adults’ fellowship conference head of department, Tambu Zimbodza, said the conference aimed at instilling a winning mentality in young people and encouraging them not to give up amid the economic challenges that beset the city.

“We will teach the young adults permanent life skills through the Word of God,” he said. “We realised that there were many challenges that affected young people, especially during the city’s economic meltdown.”

Zimbodza said the conference will dissuade young people from resorting to dangerous drugs and alcohol and being addicted to social networks that exposed them to harmful materials and crime.

The conference began on Friday and is expected to end today. It targets an audience of single young people aged 21 and above.

“The conference aims to receive the young adults across all religions to engage and mingle together and there would not be any discrimination,” he said.

Zimbodza said the end of the conference today will see a talent show being hosted where the young adults would showcase their musical and artistic talents.

He said the mission of the young adults’ conference was to create young adults with a clear spiritual direction, a healthy self-image and a strong social responsibility.

test event

Zanu PF presidential candidate Robert Mugabe arrives at Apostolic Sect at Mafararikwa Shrine in Marange. (photo: M.Chibaya.)

MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has ridiculed his rival Robert Mugabe for donning Apostolic attire to woo votes.

“There is a serious revolt of voters’ yekuti hatichadi Zanu PF. Yafa yakaloader. Anoti akabata apa pari kupisa Zvino ave kumapositori. Ukawona muRoman Catholic apfeka gown remapositori zvaoma (There is a serious revolt of voters they no longer want Zanu PF. Everywhere is now hot he is now at the apostolic. When you see a Roman Catholic wearing a gown of the apostolic things are tough,” he said.

Tsvangirai told thousands of party supporters in Gokwe that the next MDC plan was to end high levels of poverty and lack of infrastructure development that are affecting the people of Zimbabwe mostly in the rural areas. He held rallies at Nembudziya, Gumunyu, Chireya and Chitekete business centres in Gokwe in the Midlands province.

“The next MDC government will endeavor to ensure that the high levels of poverty in Zimbabwe are in thing of the past especially in the rural areas where the majority of the people stay,” said Tsvangirai.

He pledged that the MDC was committed to rural transformation and in its 2013 elections manifesto outlines the party’s comprehensive plan for transforming rural communities.

Tsvangirai bemoaned the neglect that rural communities have been subjected to since Zimbabwe attained independence 33 years ago. He said the vision of the MDC is a modern, healthy and functional democratic developmental state that takes pride at leaving no one behind, particularly people in the rural areas.

“Our agricultural policy emphasises on food security and we will invest heavily in irrigation development to support crop production in dry regions of the country.”

Known for its high production of the cotton crop, Tsvangirai said there was need to put in place mechanisms in Gokwe that ensure that the area adopts viable economic agriculture.

He said it was important for the next MDC government to ensure that all children learning at public primary schools received free education while women had access to free maternity, a move which will ensure that the women are able to monitor early signs of cancer and other curable diseases.

The MDC promises to expand the health and education facilities to ensure that learners in rural areas use modern learning facilities and that the citizens have access to specialist healthcare without having to go to urban centres.

See related stories:

Mugabe pleads for Apostolic 

Zanu PF intensifies campaign among religious groups 

Zimbabwe Council of Churches Secretary General Rev Solomon Zwana (Photo by Moses Chibaya)

The Zimbabwe Council of churches is going to hold a massive national prayer for the Zimbabwe elections next week Sunday.

“We request the Church throughout the world to join the Church in Zimbabwe on an Ecumenical Cathedral on the 21^st July 2013, to pray for the Elections and Peace in Zimbabwe.

“Beloved of God, the God that we serve is a God of miracles and he is able to create something good out of chaos,” ZCC said in a statement Wednesday.

The spiritual grouping said the prayer is aimed at appealing for spiritual guidance ahead of the poll date.

ZCC said there do not see the sense in the country’s political parties and their supporters engaging in violence.

Zimbabwe elections since 2000 had been charecterised with political violence coming from political party leaders who would have incited their supporters.

The church said this must not be repeated in this year’s elections.

Prayer for Zim Elections on cards

Date: 21st July 2013

Prayer for Zim Elections on cards

Date: 21st July 2013

Prayer for Zim Elections on cards

Date: 21st July 2013

Zanu PF presidential candidate Robert Mugabe’s wife arrives at the Apostolic Sect at Mafararikwa Shrine in Marange (photo: M.Chibaya).

President Robert Mugabe yesterday said he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to woe thousands of apostolic sect members to his party ahead of elections due on July 31.

The President, speaking at Marange, dumped his designer suit to for a white garment and carried a staff, like members of the apostolic sect.

To round off the apostolic look, Mugabe and his wife Grace both walked with no shoes. The First Lady sat on the ground as the President delivered his address.

“Your plight is within my heart and we will ensure your wishes are fulfilled once Zanu PF is voted into government,” the President, a staunch Catholic, said.

He took a swipe at the MDCs, whom he accused of representing the interests of the whites. The Zanu PF leader said the Bible did not say wealth should be in the hands of whites, insisting that the “land, minerals, animals and owls”, belonged to the blacks. Mugabe also took time to lecture the apostolic members on homosexuality, saying it was an insult to dogs, to compare them to gays.

“A woman and a woman cannot marry. Marriage is between a man and a woman. That is how we can have children,” he said, attacking the Anglicans, whom he accused of condoning gay marriages.

The President has not hidden his disdain for homosexuality, once describing them as worse than pigs and dogs.

Across the province at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai promised a “new responsible and selfless leadership”.

“If we check on Mugabe’s record in Zimbabwe, he has literally destroyed this country,” he said. “Today’s enemy is no longer yesterday’s enemy. Today we are fighting poverty and underdevelopment.”

Tsvangirai said the culture of governance should change, as the country deserved a leadership that assured and guaranteed freedom of its citizens.

“We want leadership that does not preach violence. We want leadership change so that we have a culture of consultation,” he added. “We should not fear our leaders.”

See related reading:

Morgan Tsvangirai Mocks ‘Madzibaba ‘ president Robert Mugabe over Vapostori regalia 

Ahead of elections, Destiny for Africa Network (Danet) which is owned by Reverend Obadiah Msindo, is promising people houses if they vote for President Robert Mugabe in forthcoming elections.

With less than two weeks before Zimbabwe holds crunch elections on July 31, Msindo, who has in the past been accused on a litany of charges from rape to fraud, says “Vote Mugabe, Vote Zanu PF and Vote for stand and your dream house.”

Apparently, Msindo sees Mugabe, as the stepping stone towards home ownership in a country where more than 2 million people are on the government housing waiting list.

Officials from Destiny for Africa last week handed over fliers purporting that it has at least 100 000 housing stands to offer to those who would vote Team Zanu PF.

Zanu PF launched its campaign last week with the maxim “bhora mugedhi (score the ball)” and several church organisations have been offering people homes.

“Just join and become a member of Destiny for Africa Network and own your stand and be assisted to build a house of your choice. We offer stands at affordable and long term payment plan to all Churches, pastors, teachers, nurses, police, soldiers, civil servants, workers in general, traders vendors and dealers,” reads part of the fliers.

However, members of the public, who were fleeced by the self-confessed supporter of President Robert Mugabe said the housing stands are just a vote-buying gimmick.

“Where was he before? Why is it that he just appears before elections and then offers people stands which never materialise? I wouldn’t advise anyone to apply for those stands because there are just not real,” said Munyaradzi Karoga from Budiriro who claims to have been duped of his money by the Zanu PF linked reverend in the run-up to the 2008 presidential elections.

However, Msindo says everything he is doing is above board and has advised interested persons to attend housing meetings at a local hotel.

 See related stories:

Rev Msindo caught offside 

Msindo campaigns for Zanu PF in Bulawayo 

Up and coming gospel artist Life Nechavava (photo:M.Chibaya.)

In a show of spiritual love, gospel sensation Mathias Mhere has engaged Zimpraise’s product Life Nechavava for a series of live shows.

During the road shows, Nechavava will be promoting his latest album Ndiye Ega as the opening act.

Breaking the news Tuesday night, Mhere said he was determined to help fellow artistes realise their potential by giving them exposure.

And being one such artiste who was identified while sharing the stage with a gospel heavy weight, Mhere feels he is also returning the favour.

Mhere said: “Life is a talented artiste and I will be working with him, we shall be sharing the stage for a series of shows that we have lined up.

“Our first show will be on July 27 at Mubaiwa hotel in Zengeza 2 and those who are going to attend will also see how talented life is.

“As musicians it is important to support each other and also to create platforms to give to one another because in this industry you might be talented but if you don’t get a platform to express your no one will get to hear your music,” said Mhere.

Meanwhile, Life said he is grateful for the opportunity that Mhere has offered him.

“I feel honored by this opportunity, and I’m more than grateful to my mother and friend Mathias Mhere for giving me such an offer.

“I want to use this platform to market my album Ndiye Ega which I released a month ago and I will be blessed with the inspiring songs in the album,” he said.

Priests Ordination: Gweru dioceses ordaines 9 priests

Date: 13/08/2013

Time: 9 am

Venue: Marryward primary school in Kwekwe 

Diocese of Masvingo Music Course

Date: 11-16 August 2013

Venue: St Patrick’s Gokomere

Registration Fee: US$26, T-shirt US$10

Catholic schools in Zimbabwe are set to adopt a Child Protection Policy before the end of this year that will make school safer institutions for the process of teaching and learning.

This was revealed to In Touch by the Jesuits Education Delegate, Fr Joe Arimoso whose office is spearheading the initiative. They have so far held consultative workshops in Mutare, Hwange, Gokwe and Harare.

The consultations are being done with School Heads, senior teachers as well as school prefects. They are working closely with UNICEF and Save The Children, who are giving them capacity building support on child rights.

Fr Arimoso sits on the Education Advisory Board that helps the Education Ministry that is headed by David Coltart.

Fr Arimoso said “Child protection is the acceptance that children in our schools are vulnerable. This therefore becomes an attempt to make sure that all those vulnerable, at all levels are protected. We do not focus on sex abuse only. There are all sorts of abuses going on within schools, physical, verbal… Our target is to improve the teaching – learning atmosphere in classes.”

He added: “The most common form of abuse is verbal abuse. People are very loose with their tongue. Someone can abuse a child by telling them, 7% ndoyako iyoyo and you cannot do better than that, or kuti urikuwaster mari yababa vako mfana iwewe. A lot of the abuse that goes on, people do them without knowing that’s abuse. But the net effect of that is it creates barriers on teaching and learning.”

He said they have seen child protection as a priority.

“Of course it is usually misunderstood because people often think that we are there just to protect children. No. We want to protect the child but also the adult, the school and the Jesuits and the Church.

Fr Arimoso said Zimbabwe has never had a child protection policy for schools adding that the ministry has only spoken previously about child friendly schools. But these do no actually tackle the problem of abuse.

“We had an evaluation and assessment of our schools in 2011 and that’s when we realised that after all the talk about child abuse in the Church, our schools have not responded in any way to that, it seems like issues of abuse are a no go area…we therefore need to remove or address that thing now.”

Fr Arimoso said the idea to come up with such a policy emanated from his visit as Education Delegates from Africa to schools in South America.

“We visited schools in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia and we were satisfied with the way they run their schools. And when I came back I was keen on bringing newness into our schools, but I could not do anything before I knew what was going on in the schools. So I did an evaluation and assessment of what was going on in all the schools, using an external education consultant.

“It’s from that report that we drew key result areas, and child protection is one of them. There are other areas like Ignation ethos, teaching and learning, Infrastructure development, advocacy and research…and child protection is but one of the 15 key result areas from that report…

“From the visit, we also realised that a Jesuit or Catholic school is not just like any other school, it is different. Our schools have their own values and ethos, but unfortunately we had lost all that over the years, schools were left to do their own thing, the Ignation or Catholic ethos has been lost,” he said.

Asked about anything else that he learnt in South America, Fr Arimoso said; “The schools in South America are keen on educating the marginalised, giving quality education to the marginalised and poor.

“Here in Zimbabwe, the school fees determine the quality of the education. Their schools promote a lot the Ignation ethos that makes it mandatory that they produce a well-rounded person, not just an academic but someone also good in sports, spiritual and social activities. The person at the end should be a man or a woman for others.”

The Church has been infiltrated by men of reckless political behaviour that causes discomfort and annoyance in others as politicians seek to prey on the seemingly gullible constituency.

These shenanigans have swayed men of the cloth from their primary calling contrary to Biblical teachings.

“Be as wise a serpents, but as humble as doves” says the Bible But history chronicles a litany of clergymen that have fallen by the way side, straying from their God given assignment for wealth and power thus  sowing seeds in the midst of  thorns

“We are not born again, to suffer again”, clergymen proclaim while crafting dirty tricks to enrich themselves at the expense of a needy constituency.

Some clergymen chant political party slogans and publicly declare allegiance to political parties during sermons in sharp contrast to their divine calling.

Political campaigns are held in the name of the Lord. ‘Thou shalt not mention the name of the Lord in vain’.

Church leaders have been caught up in messy political situations that destroyed their churches and reputation.

Politicians see the church as a reservoir of untapped mileage therefore cultivates a sudden interest in the church particularly for support from congregants.

And as the nation gears up for election, the church has become a haven for politicians and political parties seeking legitimization.

According to Christian Alliance Acting director Josphat Amuli, men of God who have been run over by politicians have missed it.

“Those pastors campaigning for or on behalf of political parties have missed it. How can you have salt tasting sweet?” Amuli said in reference to a verse which portrays Christians as the salt of the earth.

“The church should be apolitical, it does not exist to campaign and support any political party,” Amuli added.

The story of disgraced rogue clergyman, Nolbert Kunonga exemplifies a man of the cloth who dared play a political hand in matters purely divine.

But his pro -Zanu PF stance could not deliver him from thousands of Anglicans who were baying for his blood as an overwhelming support for Bishop Chad Gandiya carried the day.

It would seem unbelievable that this was the same man who lambasted the so called opposition parties, right in the house of God – a consecrated holy place.

Kunonga’s political inclination gave him false immunity and he never dreamt that the long arm of the law would catch up with him.

Does this reveal how the church and its leaders ought to behave? Should they meddle in politics?

Destiny for Africa Development Network leader, Obadiah Msindo openly declared his allegiance to President Robert Mugabe creating public chat that he might have been deployed as a religious intelligence officer to sample churches’ political leanings.

He is on a raging holy crusade indeed.

Msindo tried to vindicate himself during a “housing scheme” meeting in Bulawayo by saying that he does not only support Mugabe, but could cast out demons as well.

He was supported by a retinue of praise and worship choristers clad in Zanu PF party regalia that sang:  Vhangeri rababa ndichariparidza chete (I will preach the Gospel, no matter what) and one wonders whose gospel he is preaching.

Amuli condemned ‘men of God’ who pride themselves in dabbling in politics, instead of preaching peace.

“We are not oblivious of the fact that politicians are clandestinely using the church for political campaigns,” he added.

Amuli said his organisation discourages participants from wearing political party regalia during meetings so as to remain apolitical.

“If you allow anyone to campaign in the church, it’s no longer a church,” Amuli added.

“We discourage people with party regalia at our meeting, we ask them to leave. Politicians are however free to come to church to be comforted and counselled, so that is why churches should always be neutral,” Amuli said.

Bulawayo based Pastor and Civic Society activist Anglistone Sibanda  says church leaders should be actively involved in politics.

“Church leaders should be actively involved in governance issues and stop the cowardice of looking the other way when things go wrong because Christianity ought to address social issues too,” Sibanda said.

Sibanda added:“The notion of confining church leaders within the four walls of the church is wrong because our Lord Jesus addressed social issues like marriage and divorce. Church leaders should not be timid when it comes to addressing social issues.”

Sibanda, a human rights activist, strongly believes that the church has a crucial role to play in the murky politics of Zimbabwe.

Pastor Levi Moyo of the Apostolic Faith church condemned church leaders who are involved in politics, saying they have lost their higher calling.

“Pastors should take their positions and pray for the nation and not run after politics. Those who are doing it have lost their divine calling,” Moyo said whilst addressing a gathering in Kezi on recently.

The church commands high respect from politicians and as such has attracted many politicians, though some have ulterior motives.

Roman Catholic Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor Xavier Munyongani, currently Chaplain of Zimbabwean Catholics in England and Wales, as Bishop of Gweru in Zimbabwe.

Mgr Xavier Munyongani was born on 1 January 1950 in Mutero mission in Gutu district in the diocese of Masvingo. His parents Joachim Mudhodhi and Anna were blessed with ten children – Xavier was the eighth child.

After his primary education in the schools in Gutu district, Xavier completed his secondary education in the Gweru diocesan Minor Seminary (1967–1970). Later he joined Chishawasha Major Seminary for his Philosophy and Theology studies (1971-1977). He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Gweru, on 20 August 1977 by the then Bishop of Gweru, Rt Rev Tobias Chiginya. He obtained a Diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Zimbabwe in 1978. In 1986 he was sent to Rome for higher studies and he obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Liturgy from St. Anselm.

On his return from Rome on completion of his specialization in Sacred Liturgy in 1990, he was appointed Lecturer and Formator at Chishawasha Major Seminary. Since 1998 he held the post of the Vice-Rector of the same Major Seminary. He trained and formed the future priests of Zimbabwe for fourteen years.

In 1999, Gweru diocese was divided to establish Masvingo diocese. Since Mgr Munyongani’s Gutu district is in the Province of Masvingo, he belonged to the new Masvingo diocese. He has held various pastoral ministries in the dioceses of Gweru and Masvingo. In Gweru diocese, Monsignor Munyongani served as Assistant priest at St Antony’s mission in Zaka, Parish priest of St. Alois mission and Spiritual Director of St Paul Brothers in Serima.

In the diocese of Masvingo, Mgr Munyongani held various other positions such as Promoter of Lay Apostolate and Spiritual Director of St Joseph Association of Masvingo diocese, Assistant priest in Silveira mission and spiritual director of St. Anne’s Association, Parish priest in Rutenga mission, Diocesan Consultor, Member of Priests’ Council. Member of diocesan Liturgical Council etc.

In 2007, Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference appointed him as Chaplain of the Zimbabwe Catholics in England. In recognition of his exemplary priestly life and meritorious pastoral zeal for the Church in Zimbabwe, Pope Benedict XVI conferred upon Fr Xavier Munyongani the title of ‘Monsignor’.

Mgr Xavier Munyongani speaks his mother tongue Shona, and is fluent in the second major local language Ndebele, as well as English, Italian and German.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The prodigal sons of gospel music, Mahendere Brothers on Saturday lit up Bulawayo at a dazzling show held at the UFIC’s Textile Mills premises.

A somewhat chilly Saturday was turned into a thrilling day as the Harare music giants descended on the city of Kings.

Mahendere Brothers redeemed themselves after being labelled as Zanu PF praise singers.

The controversial Amos Mahendere, band leader, was involved in the various Zanu PF songs and President Robert Mugabe’s birthday songs which were castigated by the Christian community as partisan. 

The gospel family led by the energetic, Amos took to the stage to wild applauses from the expectant crowd gathered at the former textiles manufacturing company.

They belted out the popular praise song Psalms 23 that took them to stardom in 2006.Their colourful performance left fans begging for more as they churned out yester-year hits to the delight of the music starved Bulawayo fans.

Before the brothers took to the stage, Harare based gospel ensemble, Gospel Power gave a breath taking performance churning out hit songs like Tafura and Anochengeta.

Led by Pastor Lawrence Gunda, the group did not disappoint as their fans expected a fife star performance which they delivered.

For Bulawayo gospel lovers, the gospel extravaganza was a day well spent as families took time to have fun and praise the Lord.

Prophet Robert Mutandwa, leader of a local Apostolic Faith sect in Harare, yesterday took his wife to the civil court accusing her of infidelity and having suicidal tendencies.

Prophet Mutandwa told the court that his wife Oppah Mutandwa always threatened him and flirted with her ex-boyfriends, hence his application for a protection order.

“I found out that my wife was dating other men and most of them were her ex-boyfriends. Some of them she used to see them in our matrimonial home. Since then she has become suicidal and threatens me. She burnt herself, tried to hang herself in our house and when I asked her why she was behaving in such a manner she then dipped her hands in paraffin. She is trying to cover up her actions of infidelity,” said Mutandwa.

But his wife denied the allegations saying she bunt herself because she was seeking attention from her husband. She alleged that he once threw her out of her matrimonial home together with her children and only reversed the decision after she threatened to report the matter at his workplace.

“The applicant drove the respondent into burning herself for fear of losing or wrecking her marriage. She has suffered infidelity and abuse at the hands of the applicant and could not take it anymore,” said Oppah’s lawyer who declined to be named.

Mutandwa was, however, adamant that his wife was trying to cover up for her behaviour.

“She is trying to cover up her behaviour. She used to bring a boyfriend in our house. For some time she told me that this other boyfriend of hers was her brother-in-law and he used to come in my presence, but I later found out that he was not a brother-in-law at all, but one of her ex-boyfriends she was seeing.”

Magistrate Tatenda Mananzva, however, dismissed Mutandwa’s application saying the reasons cited in the application were insufficient to cause granting of a protection order.