Prominent cleric in sex scandal

A prominent Mutare church leader, who is in an eye of a storm after his alleged adulterous relationships with married congregants were exposed, has been described as a "manipulative and deceitful character" in court papers.

It has also emerged that Royal Family International Ministries bishop Action Komani, who once faced rape charges, is having sleepless nights as his church is crumbling with congregants leaving as they accuse him of being a pervert.

Komani recently lost a court case where he was seeking to gag church members from going public with his alleged adulterous relationships with married women.

Mutare magistrate Notebulgah Muchineripi dealt a major blow to Komani after ruling that Maxwell Kusasira and his wife Patience had the right to publicise any information about the clergyman.

Komani is alleged to have had an adulterous relationship with Patience with whom he sired a child.

Kusasira and Patience had agreed to publicise the adulterous affair before Komani sought to block them.

Komani also applied for a peace order against the couple, saying they were harassing him through text messages.

However, court papers in possession of this publication have opened a can of worms.

In his founding affidavit Kusasira narrated how his wife was manipulated and how she is suffering emotional trauma from the sexual shenanigans.

"Sometime in December 2014, we had a minor misunderstanding and as a young couple we sought for counselling from the applicant (Komani), but later on the applicant started to make constant check-ups on my wife," he wrote.

"On Sunday January 3, 2015 soon after the Sunday service at church, he invited my wife for counselling at his house in (Fairbridge) Park on the 6th of January 2015, she went there as per appointment. "After counselling he prayed for her, but during the prayer session he poured anointing oil on her head and pronounced that ‘from now on you are my Esther'. She did not get the full meaning of the pronouncement.

"She stated that she was asked of her (HIV) status and the last time she got tested.

"When she was about to leave, she was told to hang around in the (central business district) area because he was going to look for her at the end of the day."

He added: "When she was already at Sakubva rank in a kombi to go home the applicant called her to check where she was and he instructed her to come and meet him at Total service station.

She went there and was asked to get into a car and they drove off to Edus Lodge in Bishop Avenue in Yeovil.

"Whilst inside the car, he asked for sexual favours and she refused. He manipulated her, coerced and misinformed her.

"He said that for her marriage to be saved she must give in to his sexual demands as this would help to sustain her marriage. He sexually exploited her on the day.

"He said whatever had happened was the solution to her marriage problems and also for his marriage since he was also having marital challenges with his wife.

"She was isolated from her friends, relatives and colleagues and was supposed to share her problems only with him.

"He continued with his sexual exploitation on her and several times she told him to stop exploiting her for sex.

"He sexually exploited her several times and she attempted to commit suicide twice."

Recently, Komani's pastors, Abel Chamboko, Tinashe Nzou and Bella Mutandiri also appeared before Mutare magistrate Xavier Chipato seeking a peace order against Brenda Dheka and Loveness Chaita, who also alleged that bishop wanted to sexually abuse them.

They accused the duo of tarnishing the image of the church.

The application was dismissed and it also opened a can of worms with Dheka telling the court that Komani promised to spoil her despite her being married.