Guta Ra Mwari wrangle rages on, faction leader goes to court

THE breakaway faction of the Guta Ra Mwari Church, led by its International Council chairman, Evangelist Joseph Bongo Malunga has made a new application to the High Court for a permanent order barring other factions from interfering with their church proceedings.

The new application extends to all branches in Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Europe.

Malunga leads a faction which opened a new branch in Tshabalala last year and in April this year they won a High Court interdict permanently barring other factions from interfering and disturbing their church proceedings and services.

The court interdict applied in relation to Tshabalala branch and it did not extend to the whole of Zimbabwe and other branches outside the country. Through court papers filed at the High Court, Guta Ra Mwari alleges that the other factions had started causing havoc in some branches in the country capitalising on the restrictive nature of the first court order.

The applicant Malunga registered the new splinter faction (CA1/2014) making three different organisations with the name Guta Ra Mwari.

One is Guta Ra Mwari Zvimiso, the other Guta Ra Mwari Religion and the new one Guta Ra Mwari.

Formed in 1954 by Mai Chaza who became the first hostess, the church now has Guta Ra Mwari Religion based in Old Lobengula whose leaders are Joseph Bakuru Tayali, Joel Tawedzera, Stephen Sibanda, Francis Mwene, Calvin Chauke and Sam Mkhithika.

The other faction Guta Ra Mwari Zvimiso has its own leaders and uses the same premises in Old Lobengula, where members have at one point not only insulted each other using unprintable words during a service, but assaulted each other.

"Upon reflection, I note that we should have sought relief that extended to all our branches in Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Europe. The respondents have capitalised on the restrictive nature of the first court interdict and have started causing havoc in other branches particularly in Harare, as they are aware there is no court order that prohibits their actions there."

Added Malunga who is responsible for the administration of the church in Southern Africa and United Kingdom: "On March 8 and 25 the respondents as well as their members went to the Glen Norah B branch and disrupted church services. They had no right to act in the manner they did."

According to reports the scenario in Harare is such that Guta Ra Mwari led by Malunga convene its church services in the morning while Guta Ra Mwari-Religion convenes in the afternoon.

On June 19, 2008 Guta Ra Mwari obtained a peace order against Guta Ra Mwari-Religion granted by the magistrates court in Harare. "The order was necessitated by the fact that the parties harbour fundamentally and mutually exclusive church principles, views and ideology," Malunga said.

Furthermore, Malunga alleges that Guta Ra Mwari-Religion illegally invaded and disrupted morning services on May 23, 2014 and further forced congregants to pay "Gomo" funds. "We wish to draw your attention to the fact that your illegal invasion of our morning services is a wilful, direct and deliberate violation of the peace order granted on June 19 2008 which states that:

"Respondent to worship at 1pm-5pm. Both parties not to interfere or to disturb each other's worshipping time or session."

Guta Ra Mwari-Religion wrote a letter to Guta Ra Mwari alleging that their actions were part of an undertaking to restore Guta Ra Mwari structures, processes and procedures consonant with the "spirit" of forgiveness and unity to move the fragmented church forward.

They further accused Malinga of secretly registering his own entity which has no values aligned to Guta Ra Mwari.

"It is the Supreme Council obligation and constitutional mandate to nurture the religion's structure as laid down in God's standing orders, in order to keep the religion unshakable and intact," said Tayali leader of Guta Ra Mwari-Religion.

He added: "It has become crystal clear that members of the former administrative council at headquarters clandestinely registered their own entity on January 3 2014. This new entity, in Tshabalala, Bulawayo excludes from its structures the supreme council, which encompasses the host family and the chosen 12 families."

Furthermore, he alleges that the true headquarters of Guta Ra Mwari church is stand number 56008 Lobengula, Bulawayo.

Malunga dismissed the call for unity as illegal and misplaced. "Your letter to revive Guta Ra Mwari is illegitimate. You cannot revive an already functional organ. We dismiss that letter in totality as it introduces certain structures that we do not recognise like Supreme Council.

"You are aware, as we do, that we have been for the last six years worshipping peacefully and separately. Our views and ideologies are fundamentally different – hence the peace order. Accordingly, you cannot unilaterally appoint some of our members to head a new Guta Ra Mwari when they are already happy in the one they are in," summed up Malunga.