A scuffle over the sacking of a pastor nearly degenerated into a fistfight at the Heartfelt International Ministry Pentecostal church premises on Sunday when angry parishioners fiercely resisted efforts by the church leadership to sack the pastor.

Scores of congregants blockaded the entrance at the Heartfelt International Ministry church in Majange suburb where a delegation from the church’s headquarters in Harare allegedly tried to fire Pastor Dickson Nhumwa from the church.

The church is led by evangelist Apostle Tavonga Utahwashe and its leadership had sent a delegation led by senior pastor Mr Steven Mapuranga to relieve Pastor Nhumwa of his duties for as yet unknown reasons.

Senior Pastor Mapuranga refused to comment, insisting his church’s protocol did not allow him to speak to the Press.

Trouble brewed as angry parishioners sealed the entrance at the church siding with Pastor Nhumwa and accused the Heartfelt International church leadership of pursuing a sinister agenda.

The chaos, which lasted for more than an hour, only subsided after Senior Pastor Mapuranga and his team from Harare allegedly agreed to append their signatures on an inventory which showed a list of the church’s property they were taking back to Harare.

Among the property which Senior Pastor Mapuranga allegedly took were speakers and chairs that were bought for the Masvingo parish by Heartfelt International Ministry.

Heartfelt International allegedly took their property from the Masvingo parish after Pastor Nhumwa and his followers said they had withdrawn their membership from the church en-masse to form a new church, Miracle Word International Ministry.

Pastor Nhumwa yesterday confirmed that he had left Apostle Utahwashe’s church and founded a new one.

“There was indeed chaos on Sunday at our church premises in Majange suburb where a delegation that had been sent by the Heartfelt International’s leadership was confronted by angry congregants for refusing to sign an inventory of the property they had collected since everyone said they were leaving their church for Miracle Word ministry,’’ he said.

Pastor Nhumwa said normalcy only returned after Senior Pastor Mapuranga allegedly agreed to append his signature on the inventory adding that the church’s leadership wanted to eject him for standing up to what he claimed to be an unjust system in the church.

One of the congregants in the church, Mr Clemence Maunganidze said they were unhappy with the way Heartfelt International treated their parish alleging that they were demanding money every month yet they were not concerned about footing the day-to-day expenses and rentals.

“We were pained by the way the church’s leadership at Heartfelt International treated us and our pastor.

“It seems those guys in Harare were only after money that at the end of the day most church members were no longer paying their tithes because the money was being abused.

“We have left their church and we are now at Miracle Word Ministries,’’ he said.

Event: Two-week Revival – God with us Evangelistic Ministries

Dates: November 11 to 25

Venue: Chitungwiza

Speaker:  Evangelist P. Kazingizi

Hosts: God with us Evangelistic Ministries & Life in Abundance Church

Contact: gwuem87@gmail.com

Event: Partners Conference & 4th Anniversary Celebrations

Hosts: God with us Evangelistic Ministries

Date:  December 7

Venue: Memorial Building (opposite Megawatt Building)

Speaker: Evangelist P. Kazingizi

Contact: gwuem87@gmail.com

Popular apostolic choral group Vabati VaJehovah are riding high on success following the new seven–track album titled Zororo Kumatenga.

The album that is laden with soothing apostolic choral music is the group’s 14th album.

Zororo Kumatenga, which is already making waves on local radio stations, demonstrates that Vabati VaJehovah is maturing with age, as this album was properly arranged.

This also means the 12-member group is the most loyal outfit as they have never starved their legion of fans after releasing 14 albums since their inception 14 years ago.

Richard Magaya, one of the longest serving members said he is happy that the group is still going strong despite challenges that have seen many choral groups collapse on the way.

“The album is being well received by gospel music fans and I can say that we are maintaining our legacy because we are very loyal to our fans. We make sure that every year our fans have something new from us.

“Apostolic choral music is slowly fading away because most of the groups are only after making money, unlike those who sing to spread the word of God and nothing else,” he said.

Songs on the new album that was launched last week at Rugare Faith Apostolic Church in Kuwadzana include Baba Wedu, Zororo Kumatenga, Mutitungamirire and Munoita Minana among others.

Vabati VaJehovah has lost a number of its founding members through death, but they have managed to engage new and diverse audiences.

The group was formed in 1999 and released the album Mweya Mutsvene WaMwari.

Unfortunately, three of its founders Wiseman Magaya, Timothy Magaya and Madzibaba Khumbulani died between 2007 and 2011.

The group made history following their maiden appearance at the Harare International Festival of Arts in 2010.

They have also won National Arts and Merits awards with the latest being Zimpraise Legendary award they received last year.

Gospel musician Sebastian Magacha has cleared the air on his song Back to Sender which is largely believed to be a ridicule of the unsolved Chitungwiza blast.

Back to Sender is off the musician’s 12-track album with the same title.

Speaking from the United States where he is currently on tour, the musician said he penned the song way before the mysterious blast. Magacha said he composed the song in 2011 and it had been in the archives until this year when he recorded it.

“It has nothing to do with the Chitungwiza blast,” he said. “The song was recorded before the Chitungwiza blast and it is about reversing what the devil has said upon our lives or what the devil has taken. It is biblical.

“In the song we did not talk about lightning alone, we talked about so many situations that the devil puts us in.” Despite Magacha’s claims, watching the video leaves one convinced it is a dramatisation of the explosion that left five people dead.

In the video, he starts off by portraying a situation where a family is consulting a traditional healer in order to harm someone, but the intention backfires.

During the consultation, Magacha appears in the form of an angel prompting the family members to scurry for cover while the traditional healer is caught flat footed and left to face the wrath of the divine being.

The family members end up falling into trance with some appearing to have lost their wits. Benjamin Rupapa, a member of Magacha’s management also supported his boss and said the video was for the glory of God.

“It is a mere dramatisation of God’s power that whatever wicked plan the devil is hatching it will not succeed but instead, it will backfire,” Rupapa said.

“It will not affect the intended person, but the perpetrator.”

Meanwhile, the musician has hailed the crowd in the US as appreciative. “The environment and the audience is different,” he said. “The crowd here is multi-racial and they appreciate originality in music. For instance, if you are African you have to sing like an African. “That is what they expect from you.”

The musician left for Canada yesterday where he is scheduled to have three shows; the first one being in Edmonton on Saturday, the next one in Ottawa on November 15 before they round up the tour in Toronto the following day.

“On November 24, we have a show in Washington DC and we will also perform at a dinner on the 29th in Irving Texas then our last show will be in
Dallas, Texas, on the 30th,” he said.

Islamic group Orischart says it is in negotiations with monetary authorities in Zimbabwe to introduce Islamic banking in the country.

Ashirai Mawere, an Orischart official, told businessdaily that they had engaged the central bank and Finance ministry.

“We so much want to boost this nation’s economy through Islamic funds.

“The issue to do with liquidity is affecting this economy too much.

Government expenditure is taking 70 percent of Treasury’s budget,” he said.

Mawere said Islamic banking will among other things help ease liquidity challenges in the country and boost Zimbabwe’s status in the world of financial services.

Islamic banking is based on the principles of Islamic law (shariah) and guided by Islamic economies.

Two basic principles behind such a banking system are the sharing of profit and loss and significantly; it prohibits the collection of interest, which is not permitted under Islamic law.

Mawere — who is part of the group that is organising Zimbabwe’s first ever Islamic Expo to be held from November 6th to 10th, 2013 — said the country needs practical solutions to carry it forward.

“As part of this Expo we are confident of our ability to assist distressed business, government and entrepreneurs through our Shariah Advisory Board,” he said.

This comes as international Islamic finance sector is expected to be worth $2,6 trillion by 2017.

Mawere noted that the Islamic banking system does not have any religious connotation and will be open to all irrespective of religion and caste.

“Muslims have a traceable record in the development of health and general science, education, sports, literature and economics and we need to participate in all this success,” he said.

Market experts believe that in order to tap the immense investment potential of the oil-rich Middle East, it was in Zimbabwe’s interest to introduce Islamic banking.

“It will provide the opportunity to bring a large section of the Muslim population into the mainstream. It is a sophisticated banking and finance structure based on moral and social values and is compatible with modern-day financing needs,” said an equities market analyst with a local bank.

More than 50 countries, including the United State of America, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Germany, China and Malaysia have recognised Islamic banking and finance. And major international corporate banks such as Citigroup, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered have Islamic banking windows.

Incidentally, in many countries, 30 to 40 percent of investors in this banking system are non-Muslim.

Research has shown that while the world faced a severe economic crisis in the past few months, Islamic banks continued to grow unabated.

And this industry is growing at about 20 percent to 30 percent annually.

“Since the core principle of the system is sharing in both profit and loss, it would reduce the impact of the financial slowdown in Western countries.

“And if Zimbabwe were to introduce the system, the concept was likely to boost the economy of the country as well as the entire southern African region,” said Innocent Mugore an independent economist.

Comment could not be obtained from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe nor Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa.

Pride Africa Network, a development and research organisation, will donate a posh Jaguar XF car to veteran gospel artiste Mechanic Manyeruke as part of events lined up to celebrate the Moses singer’s 40-year career.

The car will be handed over to the 71-year-old artiste on December 19 during a dinner to be held at Rainbow Towers in honour of the gospel music legend by Pride Africa Network.

Shepherd Sirewu, chief executive officer of Pride Africa Network told the Daily News yesterday that Manyeruke’s pioneering role in Zimbabwe’s gospel music deserves to be recognised.

“Baba Manyeruke’s musical career is worthy popping champagne for,” said Sirewu.

“He is the pioneer of modern gospel music in Zimbabwe. We can generally say that Zimbabwe’s vibrant gospel music sector owes a lot to Baba Manyeruke.

“He began his gospel music career when the genre was not fashionable. He started singing gospel music when record companies were not prepared to record gospel music but he soldiered on.”

Pride Africa Network, which presented a trophy to dendera musician Suluman Chimbetu to celebrate his first year at the helm of Orchestra Dendera Kings, has decided to go a gear up this time around.

“We have decided to honour him differently and with a unique car so that people can see what we mean — he is a hero,” said Sirewu.

The 71-year-old Manyeruke, who has been at the pinnacle of Zimbabwean gospel music for four decades, was pleasantly surprised by the news.

“When I learnt about the development I was so touched. I am very excited and nervous at the same time. I can’t believe this is happening to me,” said Manyeruke.

In addition to the Jaguar XF and the dinner, several top Zimbabwean gospel musicians have lined up a show for Baba Manyeruke dubbed The Tribute to Baba Manyeruke Concert slated for November 23 at Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).

Victor Makoni, one of the organisers of the tribute said the plan has been in the pipeline for some time now but it was delayed due to lack of resources. He denied that the Zimbabwean gospel music fraternity has been prodded into action because of the Tuku Tribute Concert held at the end of September.

“We had this idea from last year but we could not generate enough resources. We want to celebrate the life of our veteran gospel artiste along with his fans,” said Makoni, who manages Eternity Productions.

The Tribute to Baba Manyeruke Concert will feature the launch of the iconic gospel star’s new album.

Artistes who confirmed their participation in the gospel concert include Mathias Mhere, Kudzi Nyakudya, Pastor G, Mudiwa, Thembalami, Bethany, ZimPraise, CCAP Voice of Mbare, Amos Mahendere and Agatha.

Makoni added that other artistes such as Pastor Charamba and his wife along with Pastor Bonnie and the Celebration Choir are yet to confirm.

One of the highlights of the tribute concert will be appearance of Manyeruke’s son Emmanuel “Guspy” Manyeruke.

House of Manna Global Ministries leader Tizora Kaitano was yesterday slapped with an effective 20–year prison sentence following his conviction on two counts of aggravated indecent assault on a male church member.

Harare regional magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni said Kaitano’s case was aggravated by the fact that the 24–year–old complainant looked up to Tizora and held him in high esteem as a pastor.

Mtombeni noted in her ruling that Tizora (40) was on anti–retroviral therapy so chances were high that he could have infected the complainant with the virus that causes Aids.

The court heard that the complainant delayed reporting the matter to the police after receiving death threats from Tizora.
Mtombeni said such behaviour was frowned upon by society, adding that a lengthy custodial term would meet the justice of the case.

Prosecutor Tungamirai Muganhiri told the court during trial that Tizora smeared the complainant with an ointment after he had accepted the invitation for prayer inside the pastor’s house in Mufakose on September 28 this year.

A medical report confirmed that Tizora’s breast-like features which the complainant alluded to during trial were as a result of the side effects of a drug he was taking for tuberculosis.

The court heard that after the ritual which saw his victim immobilised, Tizora proceeded to suck his victim’s manhood before swallowing his semen after which he threatened the complainant with death if he disclosed the incident. The following day, the complainant realised that he was discharging bloodied semen.

He later made a police report, leading to Tizora’s arrest.

In his defence outline, Tizora however, denied the charges and claimed that he was a victim of persecution because of his calling as a minister of the Gospel.

A gospel charity show headlined by Charles Charamba and his wife Olivia held on Saturday afternoon at Harare Gardens failed to attract the expected crowd, leaving the promoter of the show counting his losses.

The show was aimed at fundraising for construction of an AFM conference centre in Tynwald, Harare.

Despite the show being headlined by the celebrated gospel couple and Mathias Mhere, it proved to be a yawn attracting less than 300 revellers.

Children who graced the show enjoyed the free space that was available as they could be seen running up and down chasing Ajigija the clown all over the venue.

 Despite the poor attendance, all artistes, who performed put up spirited performances.

 Takesure Zamar Ncube and the Worship Addicts, who were an opening act demonstrated why many believe they will be a force to reckon with in the country’s competitive gospel genre before leaving the stage for Tembalani Tagwirei, who also did not disappoint as he put up a sterling performance.

However, it was the Charambas and Mhere’s enchanting performances accompanied by captivating dance routines proved why they are rated among the best in the gospel genre as they all belted out their sing-along hits creating a praise and worship mood at the show.

The Charambas came on stage amid wild cheers from fans after Mhere had electrified the atmosphere.

The crowd was kept on its toes and responded very well to songs like Machira Chete, Handidi Naye, Tauya Kuzomutenda and Buruka, among others.

It was Machira Chete that got a massive response from the fans.

Soon after the show Mhere and the Charambas left for another one in Marondera as they continue to cement their professional relationship that has seen them staging several joint shows across the country.

Interdenominational gospel choir, Zimpraise, are back in the country after a successful three-week-long tour that saw them performing in the United Kingdom and Dubai respectively.

Thirty selected singers from the 80-member group performed in Birmingham from November 2 to 9 in Luton, UK, and at various churches across London, before heading to Dubai on November 14.

Speaking to NewsDay, the group’s chief executive officer Joseph Madziyire said they had a good time during the tour and they were humbled by the support they received in both countries.

“Performing for the first time in the UK was a major breakthrough and a dream come true for us as Zimpraise,” he said.

He added that the audiences’ response during all shows had been tremendous and proved that their music had gone places with tickets selling out at all the venues.

Madziyire said they would soon be embarking on national tours aimed at taking their music to all boarders of the country.

“Our main aim is spreading the gospel as well as uniting the nation through worshiping so we will be reaching out to different corners of the country to minister to people in pursue of our vision of uniting people from various denominations to worship in song and dance,” he added.

The choir is fast growing and has managed to pull crowds with their excellent performances at several concerts. They are currently riding high with the hit song Sungano which has become popular across the Christian community.

They are also basking in the glory of the successful launch of their Season Six’s third live DVD which carries 35 songs and an audio CD recently.

Zimpraise has been in existence for the past decade under the watchful eye of award-winning producer McDonald “Mcdee” Chidavaenzi in collaboration with Madziyire.

See related reading:

Gospel powerhouse ZimPraise wow UK fans

Zimpraise choir director releases solo album 

A local mobile phone manufacturing company, Astro Zimbabwe is working on an application that will allow a Shona version of the Bible to be available on phones.

Company Chief Executive Officer, Munyaradzi Gwatidzo told a media briefing on Friday that they wanted to make it possible for Christians to read the bible in the vernacular.

“We have an application that will translate the English bible into Shona so that even our parents can read at home,” he said.

“Our developers are busy so that we can also unveil an application that will allow our people to use their phones in the language of their choice such as Ndebele, Tonga, Shona and Zulu.”

Gwatidzo also launched the “Astro Box,” a small device that turns a television set into a computer. The device could be used in schools.

“Many a time we get smart phones whose applications do not work locally but with Astro we will provide applications that apply to the Zimbabwean market,” he said.

Budiriro will shine this week on Saturday when several churches under the flag Budiriro Fraternity, come together to compete for honours at a Choral Music Festival to be held at United Methodist Church in Budiriro 5 beginning at 9am.

The event which looks set to attract Christians and lovers of Christian music was the brainchild of participating and member churches of the Budiriro Fraternity, an affiliate organisation of Zimbabwe Council of Churches.

It will be held under the theme “Promoting Unity Through Musical Fellowship”.

Consistent with this theme, each participating choir will display their vocal and stage performing skills by singing two songs, one being the organisers’ set-piece on unity while the second song will be an own choice.

Among churches to participate include Methodist Church in Zimbabwe Budiriro 4 and 5, United Methodist Church Budiriro 5, The Salvation Army Budiriro Corps, Anglican Church St Faith CPCA, Reformed Church in Zimbabwe Budiriro, United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe, United Methodist Church Highglen and Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe Budiriro.

According to show organisers, the event which will be recorded live on DVD. It is a pioneer project and marks the beginning of future similar events to be held annually by member churches of the Budiriro Fratenity.

Speaking about the event, chairman of Budiriro Fraternity Tichaona Lloyd Mwadiwa was upbeat about programme saying the idea behind formulation of his organisation and the music festival was to bring about unity in the Christian movement.

“We decided to come up with this fraternity because we wanted to bring the Christian movement together. Unity is the core of the Christian movement. We went for unity because we have realised that we are facing challenges of divisions within the church.

“Most of the time the church is entangled in church politics. You also find that there are some people who are bent on causing conflicts in church through playing religion instead of praising the Lord.

“We want to break these barriers to unity by coming out as one Christian movement. Without unity the church will sink into oblivion.

“Sometimes we are proud to be identified with our various churches yet forgetting that denominationalism is a barrier to unity among Christians. We want to encourage a spirit of unity through worshipping together as one family in Christ” said Mwadiwa.

He added that although denominational boundaries will continue to exist, the basic principle of uniting for a common purpose which their fraternity was spearheading needed to be the glue which should bind Christians together.

He said the idea to hold the Choral Music Festival came about as an idea from pastors from various churches under ZCC who envisioned the idea of promoting unity through collaborative programmes such as music festivals.

Mwadiwa added that the idea came to fruition after their fraternity received blessings and technical advice from their pastors while additional support came through in the form of sponsorships from their various churches and the corporate world.

He said the idea to promote unity through music also sprang from their knowledge that people responded well to music and music had the power to bring together people from various spheres of social life.

He said his fraternal organisation desired to implement their pastors’ vision of unity through coming up with collaborative programmes such as sports galas and revivals.

The aim of such programmes would be to build on the success of this year’s music festival, through further cementing relations already cultivated among members of their various churches.

“As a fraternity we are saying we need to spearhead even more activities that are designed to bring together these various denominations. These can be recreational activities, sports galas or revivals.

“So we are inviting everyone to come and see what Budiriro is doing for the first time.
“It’s a pioneer project and we are continuously praying to God for this programme to be a success. After the festival we are going to have time to mix and mingle so that we get to know each other.”

Robert Gumbura, losing Zanu PF primary elections canditate for Mabvuku-Tafara and RMG Independent End Time Message leader, who sparked outrage for sexually abusing his flock and dabbling in pornography, has been defrocked and his church suspended by an Administrative Court.

Gumbura has been suspended by the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) for practising “Satanism”.

Archbishop Johannes Ndanga, president of ACCZ, told a press briefing on Tuesday evening that they have agreed to suspend RMG Independent End Time Message Church for a huddle of devilish practices.

RMG Independent End Time Message Church is headquartered in Gweru and it has branches in Harare, Kwekwe, Chinhoyi and in the United Kingdom.

Gumbura, who squared off with Goodwills Masimirembwa in Zanu PF primary polls for Mabvuku-Tafara and lost, is currently languishing in remand prison on charges of rape and illegal possession of pornographic material. He was remanded in custody to December 2 by Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei.

Archbishop Ndanga said he was using powers vested in him by the government through a Cabinet directive to regulate churches, pending the enactment of a law to deal with errant churches like RMG Independent End Time Message Church

An Administrative Court sat on Tuesday morning at the Victim Friendly Court at the Morris Depot, before making a resolution to stop operations of the RMG church, named after its founder.

A special committee of lawyers, cops and bishops made up the Administrative Court, and included Cladiuos Nhemwa, Busani Sibanda, Takawira Mugabe, Elison Munyaka, Joseph Pagan, Samule Masvokweni and Ladwell Matanhike.

The police and Gumbura’s victims tendered overwhelming evidence against him.

“I have suspended the operations of the church to allow for further investigations before we take a substantive action against the church,” Archbishop Ndanga said, flanked with pastors from different churches.

“There is overwhelming evidence with regards to alleged rape, sexual abuses and harassment against women and the girl child. There is clear evidence of acts of Satanism. There is evidence of drug abuse. There is evidence of institutionalised kidnapping. There is clear evidence of participation of the whole church leadership either willing or by coercion.”

Ndanga said the court reviewed videos of Gumbura having sex orgies with groups of seven or eight women.
Amongst the evidence tendered before the Administrative Court was a suitcase full of sex-enhancing pills and pornographic videos.

“Gumbura made women watch pornography and then have sex with them in groups of about seven or eight,” Archbishop Ndanga said.

“We watched one of his video where he was having sex with one woman and then asked another woman in the room to suck his man hood while he came. Thereafter, he had sex with another woman.”

Gumbura owned a number of properties and farms in the countryside where he kept girl children, street kids and orphans whom he used as sex slaves, the Archbishop said.

“We had to suspend the operations of the church because some church members believe in the doctrine of Gumbura who calls himself ‘God’. Other women were afraid of being committed into the hands of the devil by ‘God’,” Ndanga said.

Gumbura claimed to have powers to commit church members to the devil. One church member who was reportedly committed to the devil complained that he lost his job at the National Railways of Zimbabwe and left for the United Kingdom where things did not work out well for him.

Superintendent Moyo, the police investigating officer,  said 10 women have so far given evidence against Gambura.

Archbishop Ndanga said pastors from the RMG Independent End Time Message Church need to be investigated because they were involved.

“We understand that some pastors were taking their wives and other church members to Gumbura to have sex with him,” Archbishop Ndanga told reporters. “So we believe that the pastors should also be charged also.”

Ndanga said they watched another video where Gumbura claimed he was ‘God’ and that if he orders church members to eat a donkey, they should do so without questing.

Gumbura, who was said to be rich and politically-connected, was alleged to have collected members’ salaries and used it for his personal benefit.

John, who said he was once a member of the church, said Gumbura confiscated his salary and gave him a woman to marry. John said he later discovered that Gumbura was sleeping with his wife.

When he confronted him, the the self-proclaimed ‘God’ told him that there was nothing he could do as he had also slept with his wife’s mother, aunt and sisters.

Archbishop Ndanga said no one was allowed to enter into RMG church buildings and church members were no longer allowed to congregate anywhere. If they are spotted, they should be reported to the police, the Archbishop said.

He said if the church was running any school, it should cease to operate, saying Satanism would be obtaining there.

Ndanga tasked the Administrative Court to investigate the church further.

Prophet Uebert Angel at the pulpit in Harare recently. (M Chibaya).

Prophet Uebert Angel, the Spirit Embassy founder and leader, was last week feted with hero status in Kenya, following his accurate prophecy in which he foretold the terrorist attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi recently.

Angel, was also introduced to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during a mass church service attended by more than 10 000 people.

Angel, widely considered to be the pioneer of forensic prophecy in the region, has in the past few years been invited by serving and former presidents among other high level people who seek spiritual intervention.

In a statement released yesterday, the Spirit Embassy said Angel had been invited by Teresia Wairimu, the President and founder of the hugely popular, Faith Evangelistic Ministry in Kenya. Last Sunday’s church service conducted by Wairimu was also attended by Kenyatta.

“While attending church service during introductions, Prophet Angel was introduced to President Kenyatta and was told that he was the man who had prophesied the Westgate Mall massacre and there was a huge standing ovation for the man of God. Kenyatta was startled.

“President Kenyatta acknowledged his presence. Prophet Angel later spent hours discussing business with about 200 business people and dedicated an hour to preaching and prophecy,” reads part of the statement. In Kenya, Angel is treated as a hero especially after the prophecy he gave on the Westgate Mall massacre.

Angel also took to the streets where he was reportedly met by thousands of people who wanted to catch a glimpse of the miracle man from Zimbabwe.

He recently visited former South African president, Nelson Mandela.

He now has many accolades to his name including being UN ambassador and was recently voted the most influential young man in Zimbabwe.

See related reading:

Uebert Angel creating waves in Kenya 

Mathias Mhere (photo: M Chibaya).

Rising and talented gospel artiste Mathias Mhere is expected to share the stage with South African gospel sensation Winnie Mashaba at a gospel show slated for the Harare Gardens on December 21.

Speaking to NewsDay, the Favour hit-maker said he was glad to be among the performers at the show and described his inclusion on the line-up as a milestone in his growing musical career.

“I am honoured to be sharing the stage with such a celebrated artiste, this is something that I will always cherish as a musician who plans to take his career to greater heights,” Mhere said.

 The pint-sized musician has been doing well on the local scene and has a record of mesmerising audiences leaving lasting impressions every time he performs.

Also expected to perform at the show are upcoming local artistes Letwin Chawira, Alfa Gatsi and Joel Maphosa.

“My fans should expect the best from me as usual as I promise to put up a scintillating classical performance which is of value for their money,” Mhere said.

The event coordinator, Jasper Shawarira, said all the logistics had been done and fans could expect a fun-filled show that would give a true run for their money.

 “The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has approved this show and we have already been cleared by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and Mashaba has already been granted her work permit in preparation for the show,” he said.

Mashaba is a well celebrated gospel diva in the Southern African region and has won several awards in South Africa for her contribution in the gospel genre and some of her albums include Go Tseba Jehovah released in 2010 and Modimo o NA LE NNA released in 2011.

At present, the musician is riding high with her 12th inspirational album titled Bophelo Ke Leeto.

Some of the hit songs that made Mashaba a household name include Menwana, Hakena Nako which won the One Gospel Best Song of the Year award in 2008, Phezulu, Ke Rata Wena and Rea Go Boka among others.

For more than a decade, Mashaba has proved she has the voice and the performing ability to stand head and shoulders above the rest.

 See related reading:

Charambas, Mhere performs in ‘empty’ venue 

Gospel musician Mathias Mhere in love scandal 

A Christian is a foreigner in this world. We are from another Kingdom. But people might ask: so where are we from?

In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, that is the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of this world (Genesis 1 vs. 1).

There is no other Kingdom than these two, so if we are not of this world then automatically we should be of the Kingdom of Heaven, that is God’s Kingdom.

There are many scriptures which prove our identity as the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

2 Corinthians 5 vs 20: You cannot be an ambassador in your native land, but in a foreign land. If we are ambassadors here on earth, then we belong somewhere else besides this earth.
John 15 vs 19: Jesus was telling his disciples that they are not of this world.

If they were not of this world where did they belong? They belonged to the kingdom of Heaven.

Colossians 1 vs 13: We thank God for delivering us from the kingdom of darkness and translating us to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Here we are representatives of the kingdom of Heaven, representing Jesus Christ.

A Christian cannot run away from the point that we do not belong here. We are here not for a visit but for a mission.

You are Christ’s ambassadors, you are not sent to sit and relax, but to undertake a certain task on behalf of Jesus Christ.

What is an Ambassador?

We cannot go anywhere with this issue if we do not understand what the term “ambassador “really means.

An ambassador is an official envoy, especially, a high-ranked diplomat who represents a state (country) or an international organisation as a resident representative.

The ambassador is nominated by the home country. Upon presentation of credentials, the ambassador can start preforming his ambassadorial role. This would not be a part-time job as many would think, but it is a full-time job that needs most of your attention. Your native nation would have trusted you with such a responsibility.

An ambassador does not work for his personal gain, but for the gain of his native country. 

An ambassador does not spend most of his time worrying about what to drink, eat, wear and drive. This is the responsibility of his home country. Usually a country provides almost everything needed by their ambassador.

An ambassador takes any opportunity to exhibit the benefits of his country and would provide more information about his country.

An ambassador will represent his country’s culture and beliefs not his personal values.

A Zimbabwean ambassador to America cannot become homosexual because he lives in America. He would live a Zimbabwean life in America. He will not change.

These are just some but a few details about an ambassador, I hope this has helped you to understand this topic better.

Characteristics of a good ambassador

The following are some of the characteristics to be found in a good Christ’s ambassador. I might not state them all, but these are some of the most important ones.

This ambassadorial role is your calling; we are called to be ambassadors for Christ. (2 Corinthians 5 vs.20)

1. Loving (1 Corinthians 16 vs 13-14). A good ambassador for Christ is one who conducts all his things with love. Love should lead in everything that he does. With love you can easily convince the world about the kingdom of Heaven.

2. Ready and able to give good reasons about his faith (1 Peter 3 vs 15). An ambassador should be well equipped with the information (i.e. the word) pertaining the kingdom of Heaven.

He should be able to defend the values and beliefs of the kingdom of Heaven. Good defence usually helps Christ’s ambassadors to attain some of their goals.

3. Gentle and respectable (1 Peter 3 vs 15 and 2 Timothy 2 vs 24). An ambassador should be somebody who is presentable and acceptable. A good ambassador is one who is able to teach his doctrine in a gentle way with patience and meekness (i.e not showing any sign of protest or argument).

4. Gracious with speech (Colossians 4 vs 5-6). A good ambassador of Christ should be able to respond in the most appropriate way (good registers). He should be able to tackle every case with wisdom. Ambassadors can attain some of their goals by being polite.

5. Patience (2 Timothy 2 vs 24-26 and James 1 vs 4). A good ambassador should be patient at all times. Dear ambassador, patience pays, it makes your job easy. A good ambassador should let patience be part of his daily life. Patience is a necessity.

In addition to the above, as outlined before, a good ambassador should utilise any opportunity to represent his country. You should use any opportunity to exhibit the kingdom of God, by preaching the gospel.

Benefits of Christ’s ambassadors

As outlined before, a Zimbabwean ambassador to America will always remain Zimbabwean. 
Therefore a Zimbabwean ambassador will continue to live a Zimbabwean lifestyle in America. This is the same with Christ’s ambassadors. They will live a heavenly life here on earth, a supernatural life here on the natural.

Living your supernatural life here on the natural is brought by this ambassadorial role. 

These are some of the benefits of a good Christ’s ambassador here on earth.

Health 

In heaven there are no diseases, so a Christ ambassador is not allowed to be affected by these diseases. It is his right to good health, hence a violation of this right can result in serious punishment from the heavenly throne.

Prosperity

In heaven there is no poverty, so a Christ’s ambassador is not allowed to be poor. In our kingdom there is prosperity. It is our right to be prosperous; hence the violation of this right can result in serious punishment from the heavenly throne.

Protection

In heaven every citizen is free and safe, so safety is a crucial right of a Christ’s ambassador. Violating the safety right would provoke very strong revenge from the heavenly kingdom. Because of this you are entitled to maximum protection. Insulting you would be the greatest mistake that one can make because he would have challenged the powers of heaven.

Provision

An ambassador does not provide for himself, so there is no need to worry about tomorrow. The kingdom of heaven would be on duty to provide for its ambassador, i.e. you.

The benefits outlined are just some but a few that a good Christ ambassador has. The total benefits are uncountable. They would need a benefit counting-machine if to be counted.

Disadvantages of being the devil’s agent 

In Satan’s kingdom there is poverty, tormenting, hatred, insecurity, diseases, anger, death, accidents and lack of wisdom. If you are the devil’s agent he will do anything for these to manifest in you, you will be a representation of the devil’s above values.

Choose this Christ ambassador’s role

Now I have equipped you with the necessary information about being an ambassador for Christ, you have seen the characteristics and merits of being one.

I encourage you to apply quickly for this post. To qualify the requirement would be for you to be born-again. You need to accept Jesus Christ as your lord and personal saviour.

We can all be ambassadors because Apostle Paul said we are Christ’s ambassadors, not “I am a Christ ambassador”, so “we” reflects that there are many of us (2 Corinthians 5 vs 20).

360praise music recently spoke to UK based, contemporary gospel musician, Lamont Chitepo, who is also known as Tu Short. In the following excerpts of the interview, Lamont shares on issues of faith and how he turned his back on a potential global record deal to follow Christ.

ZimChristian: Tell us about Lamont Chitepo

Lamont: Lamont is a simple guy. I am a gospel musician based in the UK. I was born in Zimbabwe and I am the last born child in a family of six. I enjoy making a positive difference in people’s lives and I do this mainly through music and being actively there for others when they need my help or support.

ZimChristian: How long have you been doing music?

Lamont: I started doing music in 1998 with a rap group called D.O.P. I later on got signed by a popular record company responsible for artist such as Roy and Royce. I became born-again in 2003 here in the United Kingdom, but unfortunately backslid. I resubmitted my life to God in 2011 when I went to Africa and spent a week with my older brother Enoch.  Enoch was a well know guy In Highfield for his playboy life style before he submitted his to Christ. Seeing him waking up in the morning to pray passionately, being offered alcohol and refusing but settling for a cold drink inspired me and transformed me. He no longer smokes, drink alcohol or gets up to no good.

I was amused by the way the word of God was revealed to him and transformed him to be a new creature. It was evident that he had found peace. I knew without a doubt that God was working in him. When I came back to the UK I decided to take time off to myself to be in the presence of God so that He could speak to me the way he had spoken to my brother. During this time I was not doing Gospel music and I had been lined up for a meeting with an artist by the name of Drake, to explore if he could consider signing me on to Young Money. This record company is in fact one of the biggest in the world.

However, during the time I spent with God it was revealed that I should give up all that was to be lined up. I had music videos lined up, songs collaborations but I had to put them aside and concentrate on my spiritual walk with God. Later on in  2012 I slowly started writing Gospel songs,  just as a way of praising God with in my house and not for release, but I somehow got reconnected to my good friend and producer Pastor Sonny Moyo whom I had done previous projects with. We have since been working on this project together.

ZimChristian: How would you describe your music?

Lamont: Amazing of course, I used R&B and Hip Hop Beats as well as typical gospel instrumentation to deliver gospel truths. I believe that younger people and/or new believers will more likely resonate with my music.

ZimChristian: Your song, “walk with you” has a powerful Nigerian feel to it, tell us about that…

Lamont: My closest friends happen to be from Nigeria, This is  because the majority of people who attend Divine Expressions, a Christian fellowship at the University of Wolverhampton are mainly Nigerian students and ex-students. The song Walk With You came about after I had listened to songs by one on my friends, Nate Genius. He told me that his beats where produced by a guy by the name J. Smith and that he was based in Nigeria. I asked him to contact J. Smith on my behalf. J. Smith did send the beat he had made specifically for me but I was not feeling It. Don’t get me wrong the beat was great but I get a bit particular with what I want to hear. J Smith then said he had another beat, only that it was Hip Hop. I asked him to send the beat and as soon as he did I fell in love with the beat and started free styling to it. The rest was history.

ZimChristian: What can we expect from your first full album?

Lamont: Expect to be lifted up, motivated encouraged and charged up. This will surely impact you in a positive way.

ZimChristian: Any plans to perform in Harare?

Lamont: I will be in Harare sometime next year but the dates are yet to be confirmed!

The old adage “it never rains but pours” appears to be coming into reality for RTG Independent End Time Message Church founder Robert Martin Gumbura, who was on Monday morning granted bail by the High Court, but was shortly after rearrested and remanded in custody for another two fresh cases of rape.

He was remanded to December 9 this year by provincial magistrate Tendai Mahwe after prosecutor Sharon Mashavira opposed bail.

The man of cloth now faces a total of eight counts of rape although the Prosecutor General (PG)’s Office conceded before Justice Esther Muremba, who granted Gumbura $500 bail, that the strength of the State case in the matters was weak.

In respect of the fresh charges, Gumbura is alleged to have raped a 17-year-old teenager and a 28-year-old woman in 2002 and 2012 respectively after pretending to be a “Good Samaritan” to the two church members.

Upon his arrest in respect of the latest rape charges, last month, Gumbura is said to have been found in possession of pornographic material in his bedroom and sexual enhancement drugs.

Police also recovered video recordings where Gumbura allegedly conducted sermons cursing the people who had reported him to police and “putting them in the hands of the devil for them to get killed”.

Earlier this week, Gumbura (57) and his co-accused Tendai Ganyani (24) were each granted bail with the consent of the State.

PG’s representative Edmore Nyazamba submitted before Justice Muremba that although Gumbura and Ganyani were facing serious allegations, the State was of the view that they were not a flight risk considering the facts of the matters.

“The apparent strength of the State case is on the lower scale in view of the lapse of time between the commission of the offence and the timing and manner of making the complaints,” Nyazamba said in his written response to Gumbura’s bail application.

“In normal situations a complaint of a sexual nature should be done freely and voluntarily, without undue influence or intimidation to the first person to whom the complainant could ordinarily report in the circumstances. There is doubt that the complaint in casu meets the requirements of admissibility of such complaints.”
“The two applicants have no record of previous brushes with the law or that they have a propensity to commit offences.”

ZIMPRAISE choir director Wellington Kwenda has dismissed as false allegations that he has deserted the choir amid plans to form his own group.

Speaking to NewsDay, Kwenda said he was still a member of Zimpraise and was committed to work with the choir in his endeavour to spread the Word of God through praise and worship.

“I know there are people who want to tarnish my image after the recent release of my solo seven-track album Passion of Praise. My move to release the album does not mean that I have abandoned Zimpraise,” said Kwenda.

“I am still part of the group’s leadership, but it is only that I am trying to explore and express myself in another dimension and thus the release of this project,” he added.

Kwenda, who joined Zimpraise as an ordinary member before rising through the ranks to his current role as the choir director, is confident that the album will help him develop another dimension of his musical craft outside Zimpraise.

Songs making up the album include Yaweh, Tinodiwa naJesu, Changamire, Fire Fire, Thus Says the Lord, I Worship You, Nditungamirirei and a bonus instrumental track Tinodiwa naJesu.

The album features Sharon Manyonganise on track 6 I Worship You, which is more of a devotional song.

Kwenda says his type of music where he uses dialects like the vernacular, English and Lingala of the Democratic Republic of Congo is called Megafantabuluospenga praise.

“Mega means big as a big man with a big voice, fantabulous is a combination of two thus fantastic and fabulous and that is my God while Penga is for an indignant praise,” he said.

Kwenda said the album would be accompanied by videos.

“I am going to do videos of the album since our industry is going towards where people believe in seeing than listening, that’s why I decided to accompany the songs with some videos,” he said.

Kwenda, who is well known for his chants at the renowned choir, has worked with various gospel artistes in his career who include Tembalani Tagwireyi, Tsitsi Kudita and Kudzi Nyakudya, among others.

The problem of piracy is one that has been haunting Zimbabwe’s arts sector for some time, but also one that only artistes themselves can fight to conquer. While most arts disciplines have been affected by piracy, it is music piracy that has largely been predominant, as pirates continue finding thriving markets in different parts of the country.

As the war against piracy continues to take centre stage in the media, most young and upcoming artistes, especially those trading in gospel music, continue to be on the receiving end of the scourge.

With regards to gospel artistes, fighting music pirates by openly dragging them to the courts appears harsh and unChristian for most artistes.

This is mainly because gospel artistes, like pastors or ordinary Christians, are expected to show exemplary behaviour, especially when dealing with criminal elements in our society such as pirates.

As God-fearing Christians gospel artistes are expected by society to practise their message of peace, love and forgiveness when faced with the decision to either or not report or sue pirates for such cases as fraud or theft of intellectual property.

In other words, society generally has put undue pressure on gospel artistes by expecting them to find more peaceful ways to dealing with piracy other than involving the law, a move which in the end soils their image.

But with the unrelenting nature of piracy, most gospel artistes who had even dared to fight the scourge ended up giving up the struggle entirely, choosing instead to adapt to the problem by personally selling their own CDs for a dollar and holding numerous live shows.

The idea is to sell original music at the same price as that of music pirates is prompted by the need to fight the black market for arts products and reclaiming lost business for artistes.

Although this strategy has worked for some, piracy continues to prove itself resilient, and each time, managing to assume a different form.

This is one characteristic of piracy in Zimbabwe that has ensured its survival over the years.

Today, most pirates have taken to identity theft by way of assuming total ownership of other artistes’ work. Copycats in the same manner copy every aspect of music of the artists they esteem and believe to be a huge market catch.

Although only a few of such cases have been discovered or reported, there is indication that this criminal behaviour will soon sink roots in our arts industry.

One of the reported cases was that of Apostle Toggy Chivaviro, whose brush with piracy involved one of his CD albums titled “Nguva Yakanakisisa”, which was discovered selling on the black market and the pirate involved had put his own image and name to claim ownership of the product.

In another case, we have heard reports of a feud between Blessing Shumba and Mathias Mhere over what appeared to be illegal copying of Shumba’s music style by Mhere.

Although the artistes themselves did not allude to the existence of a feud between them over their music, the fight itself was largely created and played out in the media.

The role, however, of their producer Lyton Ngolomi was one that put to rest all rumours of a war between the two artistes since it turned out that he produced a uniform sound for both artistes with the result that they resembled each other.

But for those with critical minds, the mere idea of having two different artistes resembling each other in terms of music style and even voice clearly indicates a gap in terms of artistic creativity and hard work. It also signals that copycats are on the loose in our music industry.

We have also heard the recently reported case of piracy or rather theft of identity involving Trymore Bande whose CD album, “Zvakagara Zvakadaro”, was found selling on the black market bearing Pastor Charles Charamba’s name.

Bande’s music resembles that of Charamba, and having Charamba’s image on his album was enough to convince the listener that Charamba had produced the album.

We may hear many more similar stories in the future but in every debate about piracy one question continues to linger. How should artistes especially those in gospel sector deal with piracy?

Since piracy is such a huge problem there is need for artistes including those involved in gospel music to take ownership of the problem by going out of their way to fight the scourge.

The work of police and other relevant authorities can be made easier if artistes themselves take the initiative by forming organised groups whose sole purpose would be to root out piracy in all its variant forms.

Artistes should be able to pool resources together and hold campaigns aimed at educating the general public on the corrosive effects of buying pirated arts products to the development of our arts industry. The general public or music consumers should also be encouraged to report cases of piracy in their proximity or anywhere where piracy appears to be thriving.