Court Reporter

A dramatic church feud has ended with four members of the Mugodhi Apostolic Faith being convicted after they tore down part of a rival faction’s church building and stole the bricks to build their own.

Stephen Mugwagwa (66), Sebastine Marimo (71), Trymore Nango (37), and Shepherd Hadson (36) were dragged before the Kadoma Magistrates’ Court and found guilty of malicious damage to property.

The bizarre incident happened on 2 July 2025, at the Pondombiri Business Centre in Mamina where two rival factions of the same church have been locked in a bitter power struggle.

In what prosecutors described as “premeditated destruction,” the four men descended on the rival church structure, demolished part of it, and loaded the bricks for use in building their own worship space on the same property.

The court did not take the holy chaos lightly.

The men were sentenced to 12 months in prison, but the jail term was suspended for five years on condition that they cough up US$1,000 each to repair the damage, a total of US$4,000.

The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) condemned the violence, warning that church disputes are increasingly turning violent.

“Members of the public must stop resorting to violence as a way of resolving disputes. Third party mediation and legal channels are recommended,” the NPAZ said.