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SDA must act to defend itself from Tagwirei tricks: Church elder
5 hrs ago |
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A Seventh‑day Adventist Church elder, identified as Elder Thabani Mpofu, has urged the church to protect itself from what he described as attempts by businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei to use the denomination as political cover amid speculation about his alleged presidential ambitions.
In a statement that has gone viral on social media, Mpofu said the matter stemmed from a caption copied from someone's WhatsApp status which referred to Tagwirei as "HE". He said the wording was quickly seized upon by Tagwirei's political opponents.
"The political gain to be had from that unguarded moment was obvious and easily seized: the person who posted the caption is a close acquaintance of Kuda's, and his opponents naturally pounced. That is politics," Mpofu said.
He criticised Tagwirei's associates for responding by claiming that "HE" stood for "Head Elder" in the SDA Church.
"That claim is false, childish and abortive," he said, adding that the greater concern was the decision to drag the church into what was essentially a political dispute.
"Kuda's team should have produced a political response to a political attack. By failing to do so, they have needlessly involved the church in a matter that could have been resolved with a statement, a correction or even good‑natured banter," Mpofu said.
He said Tagwirei had a responsibility to stop his associates from invoking the church in political matters, and urged the SDA to clearly separate its institutional identity from the actions of individual members.
"The awkwardness is unnecessary, particularly for politicians who oppose Kuda but who also have a duty to protect the name of their church," he said.
Mpofu claimed Tagwirei appeared to view the SDA Church as his political base, making it difficult to separate his political activities from the institution. However, he said the church must now act to safeguard its reputation.
"If he will not distance his political manoeuvres from the church, then the church must act to protect its reputation, remembering as it must, that politics is a rough and often ruthless arena. One thing is clear, the SDA Church does not want and must not be a political target," he said.
In a statement that has gone viral on social media, Mpofu said the matter stemmed from a caption copied from someone's WhatsApp status which referred to Tagwirei as "HE". He said the wording was quickly seized upon by Tagwirei's political opponents.
"The political gain to be had from that unguarded moment was obvious and easily seized: the person who posted the caption is a close acquaintance of Kuda's, and his opponents naturally pounced. That is politics," Mpofu said.
He criticised Tagwirei's associates for responding by claiming that "HE" stood for "Head Elder" in the SDA Church.
"That claim is false, childish and abortive," he said, adding that the greater concern was the decision to drag the church into what was essentially a political dispute.
He said Tagwirei had a responsibility to stop his associates from invoking the church in political matters, and urged the SDA to clearly separate its institutional identity from the actions of individual members.
"The awkwardness is unnecessary, particularly for politicians who oppose Kuda but who also have a duty to protect the name of their church," he said.
Mpofu claimed Tagwirei appeared to view the SDA Church as his political base, making it difficult to separate his political activities from the institution. However, he said the church must now act to safeguard its reputation.
"If he will not distance his political manoeuvres from the church, then the church must act to protect its reputation, remembering as it must, that politics is a rough and often ruthless arena. One thing is clear, the SDA Church does not want and must not be a political target," he said.
Source - Byo24News
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