Harare – An Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM) pastor has been convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison after engaging in a shocking incestuous relationship with his stepdaughter.
The 34-year-old clergyman, whose identity has been withheld to protect the victim as she was sexually violated since she was 15-year-old, was found guilty of repeatedly having sexual intercourse with his stepdaughter, who is now 18 years old, between 2022 and 2024.
The court heard harrowing details of the illicit affair, which began in 2022 when the girl’s mother left her in the stepdad’s custody. The pair first became intimate in his bedroom while watching videos. The relationship continued over the years, leading to a pregnancy in 2023, which he later arranged to be terminated. A tip-off led to investigations and his subsequent arrest.
This scandal is the latest in a string of sex-related controversies to plague the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe, raising serious questions about accountability and ethical conduct within the church.
In September 2018, Pastor Lovejoy Chabata, then Principal of the APOSTOLIC Faith Mission in Zimbabwe theological college, was embroiled in a messy sex scandal after being accused of molesting one of his female subordinates.
Ms Victoria Phiri, who was working as a professional assistant to Pastor Chabata, made a formal complaint against him on September 3, 2018, in an internal memo written to the seminary’s Tynwald campus coordinator, Reverend Irene Chatora.
In a letter titled ‘Complaint of sexual harassment,’ Ms Phiri narrated how she was allegedly abused by Pastor Chabata.
She wrote, “It was on a Friday 10 August 2018 at 16.45pm when the principal Pastor Lovejoy Chabata called me to his office to file documents which were lying on his table. I went to his office and started to do the filing in his presence and he asked me to change one of the files and replace it with a book which was on his table.
“He asked me to put the book on top of his filing cabinet. As I finished placing the book there, he had moved from his chair and he was standing tightly hugging me and l had to push him away. He continued holding my right hand, rubbing it inside my palm and I quickly left his office.
“He called me back to his office to file another document which he said was on his table. When I went back to his office, he said he wanted to come to my house to spend the day with me.
“He then said he feared that my boys would beat him up. On Friday 17 August 2018, Pastor L Chabata said he had found me a house to rent in Marlborough for $500 despite the fact that I had not asked him to look for a house for me.
“He started pestering me about the issue saying he wanted to go view the house with me and would leave my car at work. He even offered to look for people who would share the house with me.”
In October 2019, another Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) pastor, Felix Mazengero (30), based in Mutare, was hauled before the courts on allegations of having sexual intercourse with a minor after he reportedly impregnated his 14-year-old sister-in-law before promising to marry her after her grade seven exams.
It was the State’s case that in August 2018, Mazengero proposed love to his minor Sister-in- law to which she was not opposed as she accepted the proposal.
The court heard that sometime in June 2019, Mazengero went to his in law’s house where he had sexual intercourse with his ‘teenage’ lover.
It was the State’s case that Mazengero promised to marry the girl after she finished writing her grade seven exams when she informed him she had missed her period.
The matter came to light when police got a tip off that the 14-year-old girl was pregnant and upon being quizzed she told the police her story leading to Mazengero’s arrest.
Prior to these cases, in June 2018, Pastor Toni Kandiye from the AFM Tshabalala Assembly in Bulawayo disappeared from his home after allegedly impregnating a maid and one of his wife’s relatives.
His daughter Grace confirmed her father’s misdeeds, stating, “I’m worried about my mum because people talk about Vivian, our former maid who had a relationship with dad and also my aunt in Gweru who is my father’s other mistress.”
Grace told The Chronicle that her mother and her unnamed relative met at her grandmother’s funeral in Gweru and resolved some of their issues.
“My mother is suffering as she has to keep up appearances in church and lie on my father’s behalf. I have grown sick of it. Dad couldn’t just take off without a word and expect us to be telling tales when people ask about him,” she said.
Mrs Kandiye initially rubbished the allegations before changing her stance and telling this newspaper that it was a private matter.
“Church members know which channels to follow if there are problems. Why are they taking my issues to The Chronicle. People just hate my husband and may be after his position. We are dealing with the matter as a family and people must not talk about things that they don’t know,” she said.
In August 2016, A PROMINENT Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) Harare pastor, Oliver Makomo, who was attached at Springvale, Ruwa assembly, was taken to court on allegations of raping a 22-year-old congregant.
Makomo appeared before magistrate Tendai Mahwe and was charged with four counts of rape and one of indecent assault.
The State alleged that the alleged victim, who resides in Hatcliffe, was Makomo’s congregant since 2012.
It was alleged that sometime in 2012, Makomo approached the girl, who was then working at a local supermarket as a till operator, and asked for her phone number.
The two started communicating and on one occasion, the complainant, who had nose-bleeding problems, called Makomo for prayers.
According to prosecutors, Makomo invited her to his office where he prayed for her.
Makomo then allegedly closed the door after the prayer and went on to fondle, kiss and insert his fingers in the girl’s private parts, telling her repeatedly she was going to be well. The girl left and did not tell anyone of the alleged sexual attack because of the trust she had in her pastor and because of the relationship which was between her parents and Makomo.
The State further alleges that Makomo called the girl to his house during the same year. She found the pastor and his family at home and there were some visitors.
Prosecutors allege that he then left with the visitors, but told the complainant not to leave in his absence. The girl complied and slept over, but during the night, Makomo allegedly sneaked into the spare bedroom where she was sleeping and raped her once.
The girl left the following morning and in 2014, Makomo’s maid invited the complainant to the pastor’s home. It is alleged Makomo again sneaked into the spare bedroom during the night and raped her once without protection. She again did not tell anyone for the same reasons.
According to the State, on December 23 the same year, Makomo allegedly called the girl to his place of residence while he was alone. He gave the complainant keys to the house and ordered her to get inside. Makomo then allegedly followed her and raped her once without using protection.
In August 2016, the complainant confided to her boyfriend, who then confronted the pastor complaining about the issue.
The recent conviction of the AFM pastor for incest has reignited calls for greater scrutiny and accountability within religious institutions. The repeated instances of sexual misconduct within the AFM raise serious questions about the vetting processes for religious leaders and the mechanisms in place to protect vulnerable individuals within the church community. As the AFM grapples with yet another scandal, the spotlight is firmly on the church leadership to take decisive action to address these systemic issues and restore public trust.
