Armed youths block Johanne Masowe exhumation

Tensions flared at the headquarters of the Gospel of God Church International in Gandanzara, Makoni District, as rowdy, armed youths mounted a vigil to block a court-sanctioned exhumation of the church's late founder, Peter Jack Masedza, widely known as Johanne Masowe.

The exhumation, scheduled for April 2, follows years of legal and administrative proceedings initiated by Masedza's biological sons, Magaga and Rueben, who seek to rebury their father at a site accessible to the family.

However, when The Manica Post visited the shrine on Thursday, more than 20 agitated youths armed with machetes, knobkerries and other weapons had barricaded the entrance. Led by a bouncer identified as Saunyama, the group denied entry to visitors, including journalists, demanding identification before ordering them to leave.

Witnesses said the youths broke into warlike hymns and toyi-toying, while hurling insults and threats, underscoring the volatile atmosphere surrounding the long-running dispute.

A relative of the Masedza family, Mr Tawanda Kutsanzira, said the planned exhumation did not proceed, possibly due to security concerns.

"No one came to exhume the remains. I think they received information that people were waiting for them, so they decided not to come. These youths came from various places, some from as far as Chegutu, to ensure the exhumation does not proceed," he said.

Registrar General Henry Tawona Machiri declined to comment on the matter.

The dispute centres on the burial of Masedza, who died in 1973 and was interred at the Gandanzara shrine, which later became the church's spiritual headquarters. While his sons argue they have the right to rebury him, the church maintains that the site was chosen by Masedza himself and has since become sacred to thousands of congregants.

Legal representatives for the family, Mushangwe and Company Legal Practitioners, confirmed that all administrative requirements had been met and a burial order secured.

Court rulings have largely favoured the family's right to pursue exhumation. The High Court, under Case No. HCH1769/23, granted the sons permission to initiate the process, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court in Case No. SCI 12/25.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe clarified that while the judiciary could affirm the family's right to seek exhumation, the final authority rests with administrative bodies in line with the Cemeteries Act.

Justice Susan Mavangira noted that no burial site, including shrines, is exempt from the law.

"The applicants have a right to seek the exhumation of the remains of the deceased. Whether they succeed in that quest is not for this court to decide, but for the appropriate administrative authorities," she said.

The court also dismissed arguments by the church that the matter had already been settled in a 2003 ruling, clarifying that the earlier case dealt with access to the burial site rather than exhumation.

Despite legal progress, the situation on the ground remains tense, with the shrine heavily guarded and opposition from church followers intensifying as the dispute reaches a critical stage.

The exhumation, if eventually carried out, would mark the culmination of a decades-long legal and cultural battle over the final resting place of one of Zimbabwe's most influential religious figures.