IN a rare move that left residents surprised, touts, commuter omnibus operators and pirate taxi drivers in Marondera are now seeking divine intervention that will see the group holding a church service once a week, a move meant to instil discipline among them, as well as avoiding road carnage.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
More than 50 touts, commuter omnibus operators and pirate taxi drivers on Tuesday converged at the recently established UMAA Ministries Foundation for their first service before being prayed for by the church founder, Cleopas Kundiona.
The church premises, located in the high-density suburb of Yellow City, were filled to capacity with commuter omnibus and taxis drivers, popularly known as mshikashika, as they wanted them to be anointed.
Marondera came to a standstill, as the vehicles lined up from town to the church service, creating difficulty for other road users to manoeuvre.
The service lasted 45 minutes.
“It is a great idea for us to just spare a few minutes to dedicate our lives to God. Such a move will ensure discipline in us, as well as removing this stereotype that we are immoral people,” a tout, who identified himself as Tonderai, said. The service opened with a prayer by Kundiona, who then taught the congregants on morality, as well as respect for God and humanity.
Kundiona, who is also the founder of UMAA Group of Colleges, recently launched his church that now has branches in Marondera and Chihota.
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A pirate taxi driver, Liberty Chingonzo, vowed not to miss the service, as he will miss out on God’s blessing.
“We are ready for the next services. We can spare some minutes to attend the service. It is beneficial to some of us. It is inspiring and we are ensured that God will bless our operations as well. The industry is tough because of the influx of mshikashika and only the anointed ones will make a breakthrough,” he said.
Kundiona told this paper that he will also engage touts and pirate taxi operators in other town and cities once he opens more assemblies.
“I went to the bus terminus and told them that I want to teach them the Word of God. My ministry is there to cater for this section of the society and I am happy they took heed of the call. Every week they will consume wise words from above.
“Most of these boys are associated with drug abuse, vulgar words and all that, and it is high time we preach to them and ensure that they are disciplined. Moreover, we do have reports of some accidents here and there, and holding prayers for the group will ensure that all the evil spirits that cause accidents stay away from them.
“What I am doing is in line with the ministry’s principle, which that is we are rooted in the foundation of obedience within God’s original will for eternity. The ministry is a substantial and dynamic foundation to guide mankind to be obedient to God,” he said.
However, some taxi operators, who refused to be part of the initiative, killing on Tuesday, as transport became scarce leaving people stranded.
Meanwhile, UMAA Ministries Foundation gave scholarships to 27 children in Marondera, who will be studying different technical courses at different UMAA Technical Colleges.
The beneficiaries have already started their programmes that include agriculture, marketing and hotel and catering, among others.
“As a ministry, we are not here to take money from the people like what others do, but we are here to empower the young people. All the 27 students we gave scholarships are vulnerable members of the societies, who failed to further their studies after completing either Ordinary or Advance level,” he said.
