'Bruce Lee' Pastor: Accz Readies for Probe

The Nehanda Radio
January 12, 2014

http://nehandaradio.com/2014/01/12/bruce-lee-pastor-accz-readies-for-probe/

Archbishop Johanness Ndanga

HARARE – The Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) has formally opened channels of investigation into cases linking El-bethel Tabernacle Ministries church to sexual abuse, engineering forced marriages and equipping junior pastors with martial arts skills to deal with perceived wayward congregants.

El-bethel, however,denied the allegations yesterday saying they were lies being peddled by disgruntled and ex-communicated members.

ACCZ president Archbishop Johannes Ndanga last week said that the council was putting together evidence to support the impending investigations. He said aggrieved members of the church should approach the representative body with complaints.

“We urge members with such cases to come forward and make formal reports as well as give credible evidence that can assist us in undertaking our investigations. However, we urge members of the public not to use the platform to settle personal scores,” he said.

“We are aware of some instances where people who would have been involved in sexual relationships with their pastors allege abuse when things would have gone sour.

“With regards to the report carried in The Sunday Mail last week headlined ‘‘Bruce Lee’ pastor terrorises church”, we are waiting for the people who are alleging abuse to come forward and make formal reports. They should not be afraid of victimisation because, as a council, we are here to serve their interests.”

Yesterday, El-Bethel spokesperson Pastor Gamaliel Muzeweza accused some “disgruntled and ex-communicated members” of trying to destroy the church.

Speaking after leaders of the church met in Harare, Pastor Muzeweza said although his church recognises polygamy, it does not engineer forced marriages.

“We believe there are some ex-communicated members, some of whom have been medically certified as psychiatric patients, who are moving around spreading malice about the church and our founder,” he said.

“As a church, we want to declare that our doors are open and anyone who has allegations to make against us should take them to the relevant authorities rather than seek to play hide and seek in the media. Our church recognises polygamy, but we need to make it clear that only 25 men among the thousands who are our members are in polygamous marriages.”

In addition, he denied the church trains pastors in martial arts.

“. . .Our leader loves karate. He is a black belt holder and sponsors the sport nationally through his real estate company, but does not bring his love of karate into the church,” he said.

Regarding the church’s reported links with incarcerated RGM Independent End Time Message Church leader, Robert Martin Gumbura, he claimed that the El-Bethel leadership was the first to raise concern over Gumbura’s alleged sexual abuse.

“Efforts to link us to Gumbura are mischievous. Our leader did not break away from Gumbura’s church but came out of Spoken Word Ministries. We believe it is important for the nation to know that our leader was the first, if not the only man of the cloth, to reprimand Robert Martin Gumbura.”

He also said El-Bethel church members who reportedly sought refuge at safe houses after allegedly being sexually abused should approach the police.

“Some of our church caretakers (pastors) are respected members of society. We have one who is a House of Assembly Member. It is unimaginable that they will be forced into such acts as alleged by our detractors.”