THE debate on nefarious and controversial church activities, which have since led to the recent banning of Madzibaba Ishmael Mufani’s Johanne Masowe weChishanu sect and Robert Martin Gumbura’s RMG Independent End Time Message, is set to hog the limelight today as parliamentarians demand to know how churches are registered.
STAFF REPORTER
The Gender and Development Committee is today set to grill officials from the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on procedures followed during registration of churches.
This follows heated debate surrounding activities carried out by some of the church leaders, most of which border on gross abuse of women and children’s rights.
Gumbura is currently serving an effective 40-year jail term for raping several of his followers, while Madzibaba Ishamel is reportedly on the run after his followers recently turned violent and assaulted police officers and journalists following a raid at his shrine in Budiriro, Harare.
Police had escorted Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe leader Johannes Ndanga to announce the banning of the sect on grounds of human rights abuses.
Thirty-five members of the sect were arrested over the incident and the matter is still pending at the courts.
Another issue likely to generate heated debate in Parliament today regards the upgrading of Harare’s water treatment plant at Morton Jaffray Waterworks and council’s adherence to protected wetlands.
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Officials from Harare City Council will appear before the Environment, Water, Tourism and Hospitality Industry committee to answer contentious issues surrounding the alleged diversion of part of the $144 million Chinese loan to buy luxury vehicles for top council officials.
Council officials are also likely to be taken to task over the proliferation of housing development projects on sites originally set aside as wetlands.
Representatives of the Harare Residents’ Trust are set to stoke more fire on council officials tomorrow when they appear before the Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Committee on how to improve service provision by local authorities.
Funeral parlours also face grilling over how they dispose of chemical liquids used in the industry amid concerns they could be polluting the city’s water sources.
