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Guta RaMwari founder’s family fights over church offerings

News
THE only surviving son of the Guta RaMwari founder, Joseph Tayali, has taken his sister to court accusing her of disturbing church meetings by demanding offerings and threatening to shoot him if he did not surrender the money.

BY SILAS NKALA

THE only surviving son of the Guta RaMwari founder, Joseph Tayali, has taken his sister to court accusing her of disturbing church meetings by demanding offerings and threatening to shoot him if he did not surrender the money.

Sarah (58), represented by lawyer Task Viki, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Stephen Ndlovu on Friday where she had applied for discharge at the close of the State’s case citing lack of evidence linking her to the charges laid against her.

The magistrate granted the application and acquitted her due to lack of evidence.

In his ruling, the magistrate said the State witnesses’ evidence did not corroborate.

Allegations against her were that on February 8, Joseph was conducting a church meeting at the Amphitheatre in Bulawayo.

Sarah allegedly budged into the meeting without being invited.

Prosecutor Nokuthula Chitsungo said Sarah demanded that Joseph uses the public address system, which he refused saying the meeting was private.

Joseph allegedly asked Sarah to sit down to allow the meeting to proceed, but she refused.

Sarah is said to have demanded church offerings from Joseph indicating that the church was founded by their father.

Sarah allegedly threatened to shoot Joseph if he refused to give her the money.

Joseph filed a police report, leading to his sister’s arrest.

In her defence, Sarah submitted that they were children of the the Guta RaMwari church founder Taxwell Tayali and were both members of the church’s supreme council.

She stated that Joseph took absolute control of the church after their father’s death and had been embezzling funds and depriving her of monthly and quarterly allowances.

“However, by virtue of her right, accused person attended church meeting and this pissed complainant off who became violent and started shouting at accused. Complainant even threw a chair at the accused and this resulted in a heated argument between the two,” Sarah stated in her defence outline.

She submitted that Joseph made a false report to the police and fabricated charges to get rid of her.