The Sunday Mail
Leaders of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe have been accused of looting donor and Government funds running into tens of thousands of dollars earmarked for Copota School for the Blind in Masvingo.
The school accommodates over 350 visually-impaired students and there have been calls for their patron, President Mugabe, to intervene.
President Mugabe helped set up Tariro Hope Ithemba Trust, which runs various income-generating projects at the school. He also assisted in constructing Copota Commercial Centre.
A dossier compiled by disgruntled students accuses RCZ deputy secretary-general Reverend Wilbert Runyowa of being the chief culprit in alleged abuse of funds and evading vehicle import duty under the cover of caring for the disabled. The document entitled “Save Our Souls; the blind of Zimbabwe, the blind Copota” does not state the exact amounts of money involved, neither could the figures be determined independently.
The Sunday Mail attempted to get Rev Runyowa’s comment over the last month, but staff at his Masvingo office said he was busy and later said he was in the United Kingdom.
RCZ chairman and moderator Dr Reverend Rangarirai Rutoro said: “I am busy. I am in meetings the whole day. I can’t discuss anything with you.”
They also accuse RCZ leaders of barring a potential donor from drilling boreholes, forcing them to walk long distances to fetch water.
“Our President (Mugabe) helped us many times. Does President Mugabe know that there is rampant corruption at Copota? Copota has been hijacked by the sighted at the expense of the blind. The church is misusing money meant to help the blind. The church is oppressing us; Reformed Church has failed us.
“When Reverend Bwerinofa was still alive, everything was going on well; even during Miss (Margaretha) Hugo’s time. But the current crop of leaders is busy looting money donated to the institution as well as funds from Government.”
The dossier continues: “We are being evicted from houses which are then given to teachers. We no longer enjoy our rights as citizens of Zimbabwe; we don’t have a committee for the blind because Rev Runyowa banned it.
“We have appealed to the church but no one is paying attention. They are biased; they hate blind people. The church is not fighting for us but itself. We are important to the church only when the leaders want to benefit.”
