“That our children should not go to school and our sick to hospitals are not evil doings, they are rules which are consistent with the teachings of our great prophet, Baba Johanne Masowe, to whom the message of our country’s redemption was revealed in 1931.

“We do not feel ashamed or apologetic about it because it is God’s will, in fact the Holy Spirit revealed that it is the only way to save Zimbabwe from diseases, poverty and immorality.”

These were the words of 46-year-old Madzibaba Takavengwa Gwenzi, one of the 11 Johanne Masowe yeChishanu sect members who assaulted police officers and officials from the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) at their Budiriro shrine on a Friday afternoon in May last year.

He was speaking last week at Harare Central Prison, where they are serving four-year sentences for the offence.

Forming an arch in front of our news crew in the enclosed prison yard, the group, led by Madzibaba Gwenzi, gave their own account of what led to the clashes with the police, their arrests and eventual incarceration.

Madzibaba Gwenzi, just like his 10 accomplices, is adamant that they are being victimised for their unique beliefs as well as their resistance to follow certain political figures. They also vehemently deny that Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa, who is believed to have incited the violence, is their leader, but just one of the prophets.

“It all started in 2012 when Archbishop Johannes Ndanga (ACCZ president), on behalf of Mai (Joice) Mujuru (former vice president), sent people who included the likes of Lameck Chitope to solicit our vote and our prayers so that she could become the president,” said Gwenzi.

“We resisted but he continued to persuade us, at one moment telling me point blank that we have to pray for Mai Mujuru so that she becomes president and he becomes the vice.”

Gwenzi said Archbishop Ndanga’s emissaries continued to come to their shrine with all sorts of promises trying to win their favour.

He said Archbishop Ndanga and Mai Mujuru were particularly interested with their sect because they knew that Ishmael was a powerful prophet who could easily grant them their wishes.

“After about six visits of trying to persuade us but to no avail, that’s when he started using force and all sorts of schemes that eventually led to our arrests in May 2014.”

At this point, after about 15 minutes of discussion, the other members who had remained tense and carefully listening to what their virtual leader Madzibaba Gwenzi was saying joined the conversation.

“That was not the first time he had attempted to get us in prison as he had made some vexatious reports which resulted in some of our sect members, together with women and children, being detained in police cells for several hours,” said one Madzimure Madzimure (36).

Madzimure claimed that Archbishop Ndanga fabricated stories that the sect was raping women and inserting fingers in girls’ genitals to test virginity.

“After accusing us of child molestation and abuse of human rights, Ndanga then came to our shrine with some people from his office, riot police and two commuter omnibuses full of people clad in Vapostori regalia,” said Gwenzi picking off from where Madzimure had left.

He accused Archbishop Ndanga of hiring thugs masquerading as Vapostori to attack the police and ACCZ members to vindicate his abuse accusations.

Madzibaba Gwenzi said he didn’t recognise who the Vapostori were and suspects that they are the ones who beat up the police.

“He (Archbishop Ndanga) then started reading some letter telling us that we had been banned and that we were not to use the place of worship which we had been using for ages.

“In the letter he was accusing us of a number of things, a lot which we did not do. So surely it did not go down well with us and there was despondency but we remained calm, we did not beat anyone. It is the unidentified Vapostori who did it.

“None amongst the eleven of us raised his hand to beat police details in Budiriro but no one was willing to listen to our side of the story during trial,” Gwenzi completed his statement with vigour bursting in his gestures and his lips trembling.

Asked why the church broke out in a seemingly militant song “humambo hwemapfumo neropa” when Archbishop Ndanga was reading their ban, the group said they always sing the song at the church.

“Yes a verse “humambo hwemapfumo neropa” was started because we were saddened by the news, but never to incite violence, it’s a hymn we always sing whether we have hostile visitors or not,” replied another Madzibaba in the crowd.

“Do you really think it is logical for us to attack Ndanga on a day he came with riot police when we could have done so on other days he came alone?”

The group said when the violence broke out they all ran away from the scene as they feared for their lives, having been threatened by death by members of the ACCZ.

They say they did not manage to see who actually beat the police as they were running for their lives and protecting their families.

Madzibaba Gwenzi said he only recalled seeing police with blood gushing all over but never got involved in the scuffle himself.

Although the group feels regret, it is not for the tragedy that befell the police that afternoon but rather the pain they have suffered in jail despite their innocence.

“That is why even up to now we do not regret what transpired on the fateful day because we did not beat anyone, if anything, we regret that we are suffering when we are innocent.”

Other members of the group then took turns voicing their innocence with most of them showing particular anger towards Archbishop Ndanga.

Another member, Cabson Chandaona (44), spoke about their life in prison, chronicling how difficult it was for them, particularly in the first instances.

“When we first arrived here (for remand) it was difficult because we were in pain. We had been beaten by the police and we were missing our families,” he said.

“What made the pain even more unbearable was the fact that we were being condemned for offences we didn’t commit.”

Chandaona said most of them were married but do not know how their families are surviving since they were the bread winners.

“We do not even know how our families are surviving, they last came to visit a long time ago and we fear that our children may become street kids.

“In here we have not been able to continue with our fellowship as much as we used to do outside because we live separately.

“Sometimes we get together and do prayers, we also teach others who want to receive God.”

Chandaona then spoke frankly about their beliefs and why they are perceived as radical by others.

“We have our rules and values which define us and separate us from the rest of you. That is why some people call us radicals.”

Chandaona said in their church they are not allowed to send children to school, send the sick to hospital, use condoms and any other form of contraception.

“We are also not allowed to own television sets, we do not own radio sets and we do not own cell phones. We do this because the spirit told us to do so.”

Contacted for comment, Archbishop Ndanga denied any of the allegations.

“For a number of reasons it is very easy to see that these people are lying. I had no association with Mai Mujuru and I have always, from the moment I assumed this presidency, said that I am not interested in political positions,” he said.

“These people want to make an appeal at the courts so they are building their case here. How can I solicit their vote when most of them do not even have national identification and do not appear on the voters’ roll?

“Secondly, which election would I have been contesting bearing in mind the fact that at the time of the incident the country was just coming out of the harmonised elections?

“For your information, Mai Mujuru and I were not in the best of books because she did not personally like me and she even attacked me at a certain church gathering.

“They (Vapostori) admit themselves that they are denying children education, that they are denying the sick medication, so where do I come in when they are admitting to violating human rights?

“Therefore to say I hired thugs to beat the police does not make sense because I stood to gain nothing by doing so.

“Their story is inconsistent and it keeps changing because they are not telling the truth,” he said.

They’d rather die than seek medical attention

Extra Reporter

Imagine you have been bitten by a snake, you are in great pain and death is nigh. Your neighbour is a physician and you know he can save your life but you can’t go to him or her because your religious beliefs and rules do not allow you to seek medical attention.

The above may seem like an African movie scenario, but should one of the members of the Johanne Masowe yeChishanu sect get bitten by a snake, fall from a tree or get poisoned, they would rather face death than seek medical attention.

These are just a few of the many strange beliefs upheld by the followers of Madzibaba Ishamael Chokurongerwa, who used to lead the sect.

The Sunday Mail Extra crew last week had a chance to speak with the 11 Johanne Masowe yeChishamu sect members who are serving four-year sentences for assaulting police officers last year.

The group was reacting to a ban which had been inflicted on their church for illegal practices which include rape, under-age marriages, virginity tests and denying members and their children right to education and medication.

While most people would expect members of this sect to feel shame and misery, the Vapostori themselves do not feel that way.

“You are asking me why we are not sending our children to school, I am asking you why we should,” said one of the prisoners, Madzibaba Cabson Chandaona.

“Schools are anti-God because they aim to reverse nature and the way things were created. The schools belong to the whites, it’s a Western system which rather than appreciating God’s creation, it tries to emulate it.”

Chandaona said their practice of marrying under-age girls is a directive from the Holy Spirit.

“If schools are so good as you are saying, why is it if you go to any girls’ high school you will find out that half of the girls there are no longer virgins but no one is going to be jailed for bedding under-age girls.

“But you want to blame us for marrying our wives when we are given them by the Holy Spirit. It’s not like we force them, in some cases my wife may even ask me to take another wife to help her with duties.”

Madzibaba Takavengwa Gwenzi then chipped in, adding that they also do not watch television, listen to radio, read newspapers or use cellphones because they corrupt the mind.

“That our children should not go to school and our sick to hospitals are not evil doings, they are rules which are consistent with the teachings of our great prophet, Baba Johanne Masowe, to whom the message of our country’s redemption was revealed in 1931.

“We do not feel shame or apologetic about it because it is God’s will, in fact the spirit revealed that it is the only way to save Zimbabwe from diseases, poverty and immorality,” he said.

Madzibaba Gwenzi also said hospitals are not good because they intercept God’s wish.

“Hospitals are not good because they are preventing people from dying, when God decides to take your life he will take it so don’t try to prevent death,” he said.

“The graveyards are full yet you are saying hospitals are good.”

“We are a very unique church and we do a lot of things uniquely, for example, the way we have sex with our wives is very unique from the way you do it,” added Gwenzi, refusing to shed more details on the matter.

Gwenzi added that the country is facing a lot of problems now because these values which were given to Prophet Johanne Masowe are not being upheld.