News / National
Makandiwas fight back
25 May 2018 at 07:20hrs | Views
UNITED Family International church (UFIC) founder, Emmanuel Makandiwa and his wife, Ruth, have objected to a fresh High Court bid by a Harare couple claiming $6,5 million from the clergy.
The couple dragged Makandiwa and his wife to court demanding $6,5 million compensation for alleged fake prosperity prophecies which caused them to lose substantial amounts as "seeding" to the church in anticipation of a "debt cancellation miracle".
Makandiwa and his wife, early this year filed a court application challenging Upenyu and Blessing Mashangwa's lawsuit describing it, as "grandstanding to harass, vex and injure their reputation and good standing".
But the Mashangwas on May 9 opposed the application on the basis that the church leader and his wife had failed to timeously prosecute their court application.
On Tuesday, Makandiwa defended his decision to oppose the litigation, saying: "The proceedings have been brought with the sole and malafide intention of annoying and harassing us. It, as such, amounts to the unmitigated abuse and contempt of this court and the process thereof.
"We thus pray for the summary dismissal of action against us."
The impasse between the two couples came after Makandiwa and his wife were last year slapped with a lawsuit by the Mashangwas who claimed to be victims of the former's "phony prophesy".
In response, Makandiwa and his wife said the claims by the couple were "deliberately false and contrived" and urged the court to dismiss the case, saying there was no factual or legal basis that had been pleaded or could be pleaded, upon which a court could pronounce that they were not prophets of God.
Mashangwa and his wife accused the Makandiwas of being occult worshipers and fraudsters.
The preacher in response described the couple as people who are "not worth serious consideration".
"Save as is herein specifically admitted, the respondents (Makandiwa) deny every allegation of fact and conclusion of law in the applicants founding affidavit that is inconsistent with this affidavit and pray that the application be dismissed with costs," Makandiwa argued through his lawyers, Manase and Manase Legal Practitioners.
The matter is yet to be set down for hearing.
The couple dragged Makandiwa and his wife to court demanding $6,5 million compensation for alleged fake prosperity prophecies which caused them to lose substantial amounts as "seeding" to the church in anticipation of a "debt cancellation miracle".
Makandiwa and his wife, early this year filed a court application challenging Upenyu and Blessing Mashangwa's lawsuit describing it, as "grandstanding to harass, vex and injure their reputation and good standing".
But the Mashangwas on May 9 opposed the application on the basis that the church leader and his wife had failed to timeously prosecute their court application.
On Tuesday, Makandiwa defended his decision to oppose the litigation, saying: "The proceedings have been brought with the sole and malafide intention of annoying and harassing us. It, as such, amounts to the unmitigated abuse and contempt of this court and the process thereof.
"We thus pray for the summary dismissal of action against us."
The impasse between the two couples came after Makandiwa and his wife were last year slapped with a lawsuit by the Mashangwas who claimed to be victims of the former's "phony prophesy".
In response, Makandiwa and his wife said the claims by the couple were "deliberately false and contrived" and urged the court to dismiss the case, saying there was no factual or legal basis that had been pleaded or could be pleaded, upon which a court could pronounce that they were not prophets of God.
Mashangwa and his wife accused the Makandiwas of being occult worshipers and fraudsters.
The preacher in response described the couple as people who are "not worth serious consideration".
"Save as is herein specifically admitted, the respondents (Makandiwa) deny every allegation of fact and conclusion of law in the applicants founding affidavit that is inconsistent with this affidavit and pray that the application be dismissed with costs," Makandiwa argued through his lawyers, Manase and Manase Legal Practitioners.
The matter is yet to be set down for hearing.
Source - newsday
