SOME 100 Zanu PF youths yesterday raided and burned the shrine of Johane Masowe weChishanu leader Madzibaba Ishamel Mufani on the outskirts of Harare’s Budiriro high-density suburb and destroyed all fabrics and clay pots they found on the site, in apparent retaliation for the violent attack on nine police officers and journalists by the sect members last Friday. CHARLES LAITON/MOSES MATENGA
The violent clashes occurred after about 26 police officers escorted officials from the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) to announce that the sect had been banned for gross child and women’s rights abuses.
Before their raid, the Zanu PF apparatchiks, led by provincial youth chairperson Godwin Gomwe, marched in the streets of Budiriro high-density suburb singing and chanting slogans, denouncing Madzibaba Ishmael and his followers.
Follow this link for a picture collage of the incident:
NewsFlash: Zanu PF youths raid Madzibaba Ishmael’s shrine
Gomwe told the youths that beating up police officers was tantamount to beating up ageing Zanu PF leader President Robert Mugabe, adding that they would fight every person who “tampered” with their party leader’s authority. At the shrine, the youths detroyed robes, shepherds’ staffs and pots used by Ishmael claiming that the utensils contained demons.
“As youths, we are against the attack on police,” Gomwe said. “The police are sent by the ruling party which we call government. Security forces are Zanu PF. We have respect for mapostori who are genuine and some of them are here with us, but we have no respect for these few mapostori who caused this.”
Gomwe added: “We are against the attack on the security forces. He who has a uniform represents President Mugabe, so they beat up the President.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The youths waved placards some of which read: Mapostori, you beat up Mugabe’s police, The police is a force and church is a congregation.
“As the vanguard of the party, we are 100% behind mapostori. Ishmael used the name of mapostori, but is not one of them.
Ishmael must leave this country. To make matters worse, he beat up security forces and a journalist. It’s unlawful. We don’t want to see them here, never again,” Gomwe charged.
Ndanga said ACCZ would continue to fight for the rights of women and children and everyone against his actions and would not be deterred by those questioning his association’s authority.
“ACCZ is like Zifa or Fifa, they have their courts out of the magistrates’ court or the High Court to deal with football matters. As a council of churches, we use Canon Law which deals with those in churches, so judges can’t deal with that because it’s a church matter,” he said.
He said although other people wanted to politicise the matter, he was following the mandate given by the United Nations Charter and the country’s Constitution to defend women and children’s rights.
“No one has the right to push us out in discharging our duties. We came here with your party (Zanu PF) because you invited us as you are in solidarity with our fight against human rights violations so we couldn’t shun you,” Ndanga said.
Meanwhile, three of the 20 followers of Madzibaba Ishamel arrested following the weekend clashes appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with public violence and undermining the police.
The trio of Milton Murinda (38), minor (name withheld) and John Mutasa (40) was remanded in custody to June 16 by provincial magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe. Their co-accused are set to appear in court today over the same charges while Madzibaba Ishmael and several other sect members are still reportedly on the run.
State prosecutor Michael Reza told the court that the three suspects were not suitable candidates for bail as they were a danger to the police and the general public.
“As a sect, they have big issues with the police and the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe. So bad are the issues that on the day in question, the accused and some who are still at large assaulted the police and everyone wearing shoes,” Reza said.
“The ACCZ has deregistered their sect and as such they have unfinished business with the council and police. If granted bail, they will pursue their unfinished business and most likely they will target every police officer and everyone with shoes.”
Reza also said the three men had no national identity cards since the church doctrine demanded that each member who joined the sect had to destroy his ID card which was deemed unholy.
According to the State, violence broke out at the shrine, when Ndanga, who was at the time addressing the gathering in English, was booed and ordered to speak in Shona, prompting him to request the police officers to arrest one of the congregants who allegedly kept interjecting his speech.
This prompted the other congregants to allegedly start singing an inciting song called Humambo hwepfumo neropa (blood and spear kingdom) and the whole congregation rose and charged towards Ndanga, his delegation, police officers and journalists.
In the ensuing melee, the sect members viciously attacked the “intruders” with their shepherds’ staffs, leaving nine police officers and a ZBC cameraman seriously injured.
The ZBC vehicle also had its windscreen shattered.
