Bishop rapes congregant, attempts abortion

A LOCAL married church bishop is under fire for impregnating one of his congregants and allegedly trying to terminate the pregnancy on four different occasions.

Bishop Nathan Tafadzwa Gwenyaya of Rock Foundation Tabernacle also stands accused of neglecting his 10 months old son.

The married father of three who stays in Penhalonga with his family found Rock Foundation Tabernacle in 2018.

Bishop Gwenyaya and his child's mother, Ms Lince Siiwa (25)'s case had since spilled into court, with the latter demanding $25 000 monthly maintenance from the man of cloth.

However, the parties on Wednesday had an out of court settlement of $11 000 monthly maintenance.

Mrs Netsai Nyamwanza represented Ms Siiwa while Mr Stephen Chikamhi represented Bishop Gwenyaya.

Mutare magistrate, Mr Lazarus Musendo, endorsed the $11 000 maintenance when the parties later appeared before him.

In an unsolicited interview with The Manica Post, Ms Siiwa, said upon realising that he had impregnated her, Bishop Gwenyaya engaged and paid some people to facilitate the termination of her pregnancy on four different occasions.

Ms Siiwa said she almost died during one of the abortion attempts.

Upon realising that his mission to abort the pregnancy had failed, Bishop Gwenyaya is alleged to have ordered Ms Siiwa to lie to her family that she had been raped by unknown assailants.

Ms Siiwa followed the Bishop's script and lied to her mother and sisters.

A police report was made but no one was arrested as there were no suspects.

Narrating how she became intimate with Bishop Gwenyaya, Ms Siiwa said the man of cloth sexually abused her.

"He came to collect me from our place on the pretext that we would visit other congregants. He drove me to Vumba, where he forcibly kissed and hugged me. He forced himself on me and a few weeks later I realised that I was pregnant.

"He engaged his colleague to abort the pregnancy but it failed. After a week, he sent the guy again and I almost died. It happened on four different occasions.

‘‘On the last attempt, the hired guy brought another person whom he said was an expert, but nothing worked. I had to tell my two elder sisters about my ordeal," said Ms Siiwa.

She said when she delivered her baby, her elder sisters forced Bishop Gwenyaya to meet the hospital bills.

However, Bishop Gwenyaya allegedly stopped communicating with Ms Siiwa and her family.

"He also blocked my mother's contacts when she told him that they were taking the issue to the police. This was after she had heard that Bishop Gwenyaya had also tried to molest my younger sister," said Ms Siiwa.

One of Ms Siiwa's sisters – Mrs Lynn Magume – is married to Pastor Jeremiah Magume, who was also a member of Bishop Gwenyaya's church.

Mrs Magume said they left the church after realising that their leader had impregnated her sister.

"My husband resigned from Rock Foundation Tabernacle after realising that Bishop Gwenyaya was a wolf in sheep's clothing," said Mrs Magume.

Ms Siiwa's mother, Mrs Constance Siiwa, said she trusted Bishop Gwenyaya with her daughters.

"He is good at preaching the gospel and you would not suspect his heartlessness. I could hardly believe my ears when Lince told me that Gwenyaya was the father of her child. Reality later dawned on me because when I joined Bishop Gwenyaya's church someone once warned me that he is a womaniser," said Mrs Siiwa.

When The Manica Post contacted Bishop Gwenyaya for a comment, he referred all questions to his lawyer, Mr Chikamhi.

Mr Chikamhi accused Pastor Magume of trying to blackmail Bishop Gwenyanya through Ms Siiwa.

"When all this happened, Magume approached my client and tried to blackmail him. He told him to relinquish his position as a Bishop and quietly hand over the church reigns to him or risk being humiliated. When my client refused, Magume started a new church, Voice of Prayer, in Fern Valley.

"About the baby, my client was never told that Lince had his child. They never approached him to contribute towards the upkeep of the child. They rushed to court and the media. He got to know of this baby's existence through court summons," said Mr Chikamhi.