Court opens lid to pastor's adulterous affairs

THE Mutare Civil Court yesterday blocked Royal Family International Ministries bishop Action Komani from gagging church members from going public with the clergyman's adulterous relationships.

Komani, who had been implicated in numerous adulterous relationships with married women from his church, had approached the court seeking to interdict his congregants from going public with his sexcapades.

But Mutare magistrate Notebulgah Muchineripi dealt a blow to Komani, ruling that Maxwell Kusasira and his wife Patience had a 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.

However, Kasarira and his wife Patience had agreed to publicise the adulterous affair before Komani filed an interdict to bar them from approaching any media house with the information.

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

He had also alleged that the couple was defaming him.

In her ruling, Muchineripi said the pair had freedom of "expression".

"Defamation is whereby one makes a false statement oral or written about another that harms their reputation. In Zimbabwe every citizen has a right to freedom of speech and expression, however, the right is not absolute it is subject to limitation," Muchineripi ruled.

"The second respondent (Maxwell Kusasira) cannot be stopped from publishing the truth.

"The evidence on record shows that there were issues between the parties which need to be attended to, the second respondent submitted that the only way to solve this is by publication of the truth. Therefore, this court cannot stop him from publishing the truth."

She added: "In the affidavit, the applicant (Komani) says the respondents have caused untold suffering in his life, he alleges that the respondents claim that the applicant had an adulterous affair with the first respondent and sired a child with her.

"He further says that the respondents are in the habit of sending him messages insulting and threatening him, their actions are tarnishing his image as a man of God."

On Tuesday, 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 claiming that they were tarnishing the image of the church.

The peace order 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 and was making efforts to lure her back.

"My young sister also told me that the pastor had also tried to propose to her,"Dheka said.