Prophet gets arrested during church service

by Staff reporter

2012 April 19 08:40:45 | 5004 Views

Worshippers at Exhortation Ministries International in Mbare were last week stunned when their founder, Prophet Fortune Mugeza was arrested in the middle of a church service at Stodart Hall.

The man of cloth was taken by police soon after delivering his sermon to assist with investigations in a case where he was accused of selling property that was given to him as offering. A docket was opened with reference number CR47-04-1.

"He (Prophet Mugeza) was picked by police during a church service and it was embarrasing as the whole congregation watched him being whisked away by police. Takavanyarira munhu waMwari, vanga vongoti maziso boi boi," narrated one church member.

Prophet Mugeza allegedly sold a Toyota Mark II vehicle and a residential stand (House No. 7944 Glen View 2 Extension) which he has received as an 'offering' from a church member Paradzai Muzondo. Paradzai was irked by this development and filed a police report accusing the man of the cloth of abusing that he had given him.

Our news crew caught up with the embattled pastor and he CONFIRMED his arrest but said it was driven by malice engineered by a disgruntled former member, Paradzai.

"Yes I was taken by police on 8 April as they wanted me to clarify on the issue between me and my former church member Paradzai Muzondo. He gave me a Toyota Mark II and a residential stand in Glen View 2 as offering last year and I sold the items because I already another car and a place to stay. Everyone who attended church on that day can testify that he gave me the items because he gave the offerings in the presence of my 2,000 congregants. I was shocked when police came saying that I stole the items when in fact Paradzai gave them to me in good faith," said Pastor Mugeza.

Paradzai, who is a manager at Athienitis Spar at Five Avenue shopping centre initially refused to get into finer details of the matter. He later opened up and said he had mended relations with Prophet Mugeza.

"I don't have anything to say to you..... Well, that matter is water under the bridge, we are in the process of mending our relations with the pastor and I don't think the matter deserves to be in the newspaper. I was actually with him today," he said.

We established that Paradzai's beef with the man of the cloth emanated from a previous disciplinary hearing that Paradzai was subjected to after he was suspected of dating girls from the church.

"Problems between the two started when the prophet questioned Paradzai on his wayward conduct at the church. He was having affairs with different ladies from the church and he was a player targeting women from praise and worship team. That is when he started to reclaim the Toyota Mark II and the stand from the prophet but the prophet had already sold the items," revealed one church member.

Prophet Arrested Church

Source: H-Metro