A church friendship built around prayer meetings, neighbourhood visits and shared worship has collapsed into a bitter paternity dispute after a Rusape man accused a fellow congregant of fathering a child with his wife.
Itai Kalimbwe, 54, of Acacia Street, has taken Obey Gudza, 34, before Chief Makoni’s community court, claiming that Gudza had an affair with his wife, Marvellous Tsindi, 43, a pastor at Faith to Victory Ministries. Kalimbwe says the relationship produced a child who is now one year and eight months old.
He is demanding US$10,000 and five beasts from Gudza over the alleged affair and the turmoil it has caused in his marriage. Chief Makoni did not rule on the adultery claim. Instead, the parties were ordered to undergo DNA tests to establish who fathered the child, and the matter was postponed while they await the results.
The dispute has drawn attention because the people involved were not strangers. Kalimbwe told the court that Gudza was his friend, neighbour and fellow church member. The two men belonged to the same cell prayer group, while their families regularly met for prayers and social gatherings.
“Gudza was my friend, neighbour and church-mate. We belonged to the same cell prayer group and our families frequently visited each other for prayers and social gatherings. Because I work as a builder, I spent long periods away from home.
“While I was away, I received information that my wife and Gudza were regularly being seen together. For nearly three years I tried to gather evidence, but I could not catch them. However, I began noticing suspicious behaviour between them. My wife became hostile towards me, and accused me of neglecting her. At one point she even referred to me as a vagrant,” he said.
Kalimbwe said his doubts grew after Tsindi placed a password on her mobile phone and became more protective of her private communications. He also told the traditional court that he once borrowed a vehicle and followed her movements without her knowledge.
“I drove to her workplace and saw Gudza arrive and pick her up. I followed them as they drove towards home. When they arrived, he dropped her off and hugged her before leaving. That heightened my suspicions,” he said.
The birth of the child became another turning point in the marriage. Kalimbwe said Tsindi insisted that Gudza should be the person to take her to hospital when she went into labour. He also said he was denied the opportunity to name the child and objected when the baby’s hair was later shaved.
“When she became pregnant, she insisted that Gudza be the one to drive her to hospital. After the baby was born, I was denied an opportunity to name the child. She later shaved the baby’s hair against my wishes.
“I specifically wanted the hair left intact because I wanted to observe certain features. Instead, she travelled to her parents’ home with the child and returned after the hair had been shaved,” he said.
Kalimbwe said the issue became even more painful after a member of Gudza’s family openly linked the child to the congregant. He told the court that he was carrying the baby at Evergreen Market when Gudza’s younger brother made the claim in front of other people.
“One day I was carrying the child at Evergreen Market when Gudza’s younger brother allegedly told people that the baby had been fathered by Obey. When he was cautioned about making such a serious allegation, he reportedly insisted that it was true. That left me deeply hurt,” he said.
The pastor’s husband said his relationship with Tsindi continued to deteriorate. He accused her of withdrawing affection, refusing intimacy and giving repeated excuses. He also claimed that she kept a second mobile phone and told him that Gudza had replaced a damaged handset belonging to her.
“The relationship deteriorated further. She kept denying me my conjugal rights and always had excuses.
“Later I discovered she had another cellphone. I also learnt that Gudza had allegedly damaged one of her phones and replaced it.
“The matter eventually became public when Gudza allegedly quarrelled with his own wife. During the altercation, his wife reportedly accused him of fathering my child. Neighbours witnessed the dispute and my 10-year-old son was also present,” said Kalimbwe.
He added that his son later found messages on Tsindi’s phone in which she allegedly asked Gudza to buy clothes for the child. The claims have left the child’s paternity at the centre of the case, with the DNA examination now expected to determine what happens next.
Gudza rejected the accusations when he appeared before the court. He said his work as a mushikashika driver meant he transported many people and denied that he had an affair with Tsindi or fathered her child.
“I deny everything. These accusations are new to me. I am a mushikashika driver and I transport many people as part of my work. My wife does not even know about this case,” he told the court.
The Rusape dispute comes after other Zimbabwean churches faced damaging scandals involving senior figures and congregants. In December 2024, a married ZAOGA Forward in Faith overseer Joel Chinhema, who was based in Bindura, was dismissed by the church’s board of bishops after he confessed during internal disciplinary proceedings to fathering children with two female congregants. He was also ordered to leave church property and surrender the vehicle he used in his work.
The disciplinary case also included accusations of financial misconduct, child neglect and improper approaches to women who sought pastoral help. A woman reportedly came forward claiming that Chinhema had sent her nude pictures while trying to persuade her to have sex. Church officials were contacted at the time, while Chinhema was not available to comment.
Another case involving a church leader ended in tragedy in October 2023. Oscar Nyasha Mukahanana, a senior United Methodist Church figure and superintendent of the Harare East District, died after intimate details of a sexual relationship with a younger congregant circulated in a church WhatsApp group. He was 47 and left behind a wife and three children.
Church leaders later said Mukahanana had attempted to contact Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa before his death. The bishop said he would have arranged for him to receive help and another assignment had he known what was troubling him. The funeral that followed became controversial, with the church holding the service without the body at the original venue and the remains later being taken for burial at Zororo Cemetery.
In Rusape, however, the immediate question remains focused on the child at the heart of Kalimbwe’s complaint. The traditional court has ordered a scientific answer rather than deciding the paternity dispute from testimony alone. Until the results are available, the US$10,000 claim, the demand for five beasts and the accusations that have divided two households remain tied to the outcome of the DNA tests.
For a church community that once brought the families together in prayer, the case has turned familiar fellowship into a public confrontation involving marriage, trust and the identity of a child.