Pastor, elder turn church into battlefield

A church building was turned into a battlefield when a pastor and an elder of a Lower Gweru-based Emmanuel Ministries Church were recently engaged in a fierce fight.

Shepherd Maphosa, who is a senior pastor with the church, reportedly exchanged blows with a church elder, Mr Cloman Maphosa, following disagreements on the church doctrine.

At one stage, Shepherd drew a knife and catapult threatening to use the weapons against Mr Cloman Maphosa.

The two are not related.

The argument is said to have been sparked by the death of Mr Cloman Maphosa's relative yet the church doctrine stipulates that members of the church are "immune" to death.

Shepherd was yesterday arraigned before Gweru magistrate Ms Rutendo Muchena facing assault charges.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded out of custody to 14 December on his own cognisance.

Mr Cloman Maphosa, who is the complainant, left the court in stitches when he said he was made to join the church after the accused assured him that he and his family were not going to die as long as they remained members of the church.

"I felt cheated when my relative, who is also a member of the church, died recently and I confronted the pastor demanding an explanation.

"This person (Shepherd Maphosa) had also promised every church elder a piece of land after he lied to us that he had negotiated with the Government through the Minister of Lands, Cde (Herbert) Murerwa, to have a farm allocated to us as members of his church," said Mr Cloman Maphosa.

For the State, Miss Chipo Matshe told the court that on 9 July 2010, the complainant, Mr Cloman Maphosa, and the accused, Shepherd Maphosa, and other members of Emmanuel Ministries Church were attending a church service when Mr Cloman Maphosa and other church elders demanded an explanation from the pastor (Shepherd Maphosa) on the doctrine which stipulated that no member of the church would die as long as he or she remained a member.

Miss Matshe said this sparked an argument as Cloman Maphosa openly told the accused that he was preaching falsehoods as church members were dying.

It is the State's case that the argument between Mr Maphosa and accused later degenerated into a fist fight.

She said during the fight, the accused drew a knife and a catapult before he dashed and grabbed an electric cord.

The court heard that the accused, who had threatened to attack Mr Maphosa with a knobkerrie, later used the electric cord to assault the complainant all over the body before he was restrained by other church members.

Miss Matshe said Mr Maphosa, who sustained bruises on the back and forehead owing to the assault, went and reported the matter at Maboleni police base, leading to the arrest of the accused.