HARARE — Three members of Prophet Passion Java’s family have been caught up in separate legal controversies, with the latest involving an assault complaint against his elder brother, Batanai Java. The domestic-violence report follows the imprisonment of their sister, Mavis Java Madzivanzira, for fraud, and earlier reports that police were seeking Apostle Batsirai Java over a leaked audio recording.
The latest case was reported at Boka Police Station under reference RRB5972038. Batanai’s estranged wife, Fadzai Benhilda, confirmed that a violent incident had taken place. She said she could not discuss it in detail because the divorce and police matters were being dealt with separately.
“Yes, it’s true, but I cannot say much because the divorce matter is before the courts while the violence issue is before the police,” she said.
The dispute is understood to have unfolded alongside efforts to settle how property acquired during the marriage would be divided. A source familiar with the matter said several meetings had been held involving Benhilda, Batanai and family members, but those discussions did not resolve the dispute.
“There were several meetings with the said lady, Batanai, Artwel and Panganai, who promised her a share of what they acquired during their marriage,” the source said.
According to the source, tensions rose when Benhilda returned to collect her belongings after the parties had reached an understanding about the property. The source alleged that she and her sister were assaulted and that sharp objects were used, leaving injuries to Benhilda’s head.
“She was beaten together with her sister. He used sharp objects, leaving her with scars all over her head,” the source alleged.
The source also claimed Batanai had said his family was untouchable. Benhilda confirmed a violent incident but declined to discuss it further while the police complaint and divorce proceedings were active. The October report did not confirm an arrest or provide a later update on the investigation.
Batanai is described in reporting as a pastor connected to Tabernacle of Grace Church, a ministry associated with Apostle Batsirai. That connection places the complaint within a family whose public profile spans preaching, church leadership and business. But the allegations against Batanai are separate from the court case involving Mavis and the police inquiry concerning Batsirai.
Sister jailed over land deals
The case centred on nine stands that buyers believed they were purchasing in Harare. The court heard that Mavis and Gutsa presented themselves as sellers of residential land in suburbs including Milton Park, Vainona, Logan Park and Gunhill. They used documents represented as Harare City Council site plans to support the sales, according to reporting on the trial.
Farai Chikiwa, a businesswoman who directed two construction companies, was among the buyers. She initially paid for three stands in Milton Park, then arranged to buy six more in Vainona and Logan Park for herself and Naledi Maunganidze. The deposits linked to those purchases were reported at US$97,450 and were paid into an attorney’s trust account.
The offer letters that buyers had been promised did not arrive. When Chikiwa checked the records with the City of Harare, she found that the stands were not listed in the municipal database. That verification led her to report the matter to police.
A separate deal involved Fortune Rukara, who paid US$20,000 for a stand said to be in Greendale. Rukara negotiated the price down because there were no title deeds. The agreement reportedly required the money to remain in a trust account until an offer letter was provided, but the funds were withdrawn. Rukara later learned from the Greendale District Office that the land was not zoned for residential use.
The trial also involved Harare lawyer Proud Mutuso, who was cleared of the charges after the court found no evidence linking him to the fraud. Mavis and Gutsa, meanwhile, were convicted and sentenced following the full trial. Mavis’s sentence turned the family’s recent public scrutiny from a matter of police reports and accusations into a case with a reported conviction and prison term.
Batsirai sought over leaked recording
Apostle Batsirai Java’s separate police case came to public attention earlier in the year after an audio recording began circulating on social media. In August, reports said police had prepared a four-count docket and were trying to locate him. The reported counts included treason, undermining the authority of the President, promoting bigotry and publishing false information.
The treason allegation was linked in those reports to claims that the recording called on the military to remove President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The recording also contained claims about political influence and government appointments. Those claims were statements heard in the circulated recording, not independently established facts about the people mentioned.
Simba the odd one out
While nearly all the Java brothers are ministers of the word of God, however, one of them, once said to be the brightest amongst them all, an engineer by profession, Simbarashe “Simba” Java made headlines six years ago when he was reportedly having a financial turmoil in South Africa. Simba’s public disputes with Passion Java date back to 2020, when Simba said he was stranded in South Africa and needed help returning to Zimbabwe. Passion denied abandoning him, saying he had sent R187,000, arranged accommodation and offered to pay for his return, but Simba changed plans after finding work. The brothers’ disagreement resurfaced after their mother’s death, when Simba challenged the proposed division of her estate and alleged that Passion wanted the family home and cars allocated to their divorced sister.
Simba also spoke publicly about support he received from the late businessman and socialite Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure. In 2020, before Ginimbi’s death later that year, Simba said Ginimbi gave him R50,000 when he was struggling financially. He said he combined that money with a further R25,000 from Apostle Batsirai Java to start a civil construction company.