Provincial leadership ducks accountability while congregants flee church under siege
By Fanuel Chinowaita
Hobhouse, June 9, 2025 – The leadership crisis engulfing AFM Mt Zion Assembly in Hobhouse continues to escalate, with new revelations confirming that the church’s internal conflict has now reached national structures.
In the latest development, Pastor Musonza has refused to directly respond to allegations, instead referring all questions to the AFM Manicaland Provincial Secretary, Shupikai Sigauke.
However, in a brief and evasive response, Sigauke told The Wasu Post that he was not in a position to comment on the matter.
“Please be advised that this issue was escalated to our national executive and as such it is no longer something that I can comment on at this level. I am sorry, I am not in a position to comment on that,” he said.
His statement comes as congregants continue to suffer under what they describe as a leadership crisis driven by abuse of power, political protection, and spiritual betrayal.
Following false reports allegedly made by Pastor Musonza to the police claiming that church property was seized, several church members were summoned to Chikanga Police Station last week. However, sources who attended the police meeting say they were advised to remain peaceful and only claim items that belong to them individually, a move seen by some as a partial victory for the protesting members.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high after new claims emerged that Overseer Rev. Dr. Togara Mapingure is now openly threatening church members.
According to several sources within the church, Mapingure was overheard saying that he would “remove the Overseer jacket” and deal with members directly, a statement many interpreted as a threat of physical retaliation.
Efforts to reach Rev. Mapingure for comment were unsuccessful. The Wasu Post made multiple attempts to contact him via phone and messaging, but there was no response at the time of publishing.
In a further twist, insiders confirm that some church property disputes have been settled, with at least one woman receiving official documentation proving that the equipment in question belonged to her personally, not the church or its leadership. This development undermines earlier accusations that congregants had illegally seized AFM property.
As the crisis continues with no signs of resolution, a mass exodus is underway. Long-time AFM Mt Zion members are reportedly leaving the church in growing numbers, with some joining the AFM in Zimbabwe, while others are scattering to independent and Pentecostal churches.
“This is no longer the church we knew,” said one elder who recently left the assembly. “There is no unity, no truth, and no spiritual leadership anymore. People are just being intimidated and silenced.”
Observers say the AFM National Executive’s failure to publicly respond or dispatch an independent team to investigate the Mt Zion situation risks sparking similar unrest across other assemblies if urgent intervention is not made.