Business Tycoon Tagwirei Divides Seventh Day Adventist Church In Zim
Business tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei stands has heavily dividing the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church in Zimbabwe through sponsoring church activities in order to maintain his grip on power by getting his people influential positions.
Investigations by a local online publication established that the fuel mogul is forking out a lot of money sponsoring the SDA church in order to maintain his grip on power by getting his people influential positions.
Church leaders / members who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity highlighted that Tagwirei is now so powerful he decides who gets what positions at church offices especially at Harare based Union Office and Conferences.
The sources expressed that church members are afraid to talk about it for fear of victimisation.
The publication unearthed that Tagwirei is behind the construction of a multimillion state-of-the-art Harare City Centre Church (HCCC) in the CBD and some building materials and chairs etc are said to be imported.
Huge donations were also made to the SDA run Solusi University which is located outside Bulawayo, several Tagwirei companies donated with Track MD Innocent Mugwisi – another controversial HCCC elder who dumped his wife for his mistress -donating a car and fuels to the institution, all courtesy of “Elder” Tagwirei.
Sources from the SDA HCCC branch indicated that Tagwirei directly pays a cabal of ‘his’ pastors and elders and offers them huge irresistible benefits that include but are not limited to top of the range vehicles and house loans.
“He is very untouchable. He acts like a demi-god in the church, making and declaring decisions on behalf of the whole church.
“He is basically cultivating the culture of corruption and immoral behaviour in the church.
“What worries us right now is the fact that the church leaders no longer have capacity to rebuke or censure him because they are benefiting.
“Imagine, several allegations of adultery, corruption and using the church for money laundering and illicit financing have been brought to the attention of the church leaders but they turn a deaf ear and blind eye to all of that,” the source lamented.
” I think he should just take his pastors form their own church and leave God’s church alone, added the source.
Against this background, two camps now exist in the church. Tagwirei’s church cartel comprises elders and pastors who directly benefit from him.
The other camp constitutes a brave group of church elders who are resistant to Tagwirei’s influence. They accuse him of taking other people’s wives and dining with the Zanu-PF regime, undermining democracy and looting public funds.
To them, the Sakunda Holdings boss is not fit to be an elder in the church.
They accuse Tagwirei of turning the HCCC into a “sex haven”.
“Tender deals are being discussed at church. Companies are being formed in the church and ‘elder’ Tagwirei is the kingpin.”
The other source, an elder who claimed to have since left HCCC went on to quote Matthew 21:12-17 where Jesus “entered the temple[a] and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.”
Notable church members who are against Tagwirei’s influence and behavior are Thabani Mpofu who is a well-respected SDA elder and top constitutional lawyer, Pastor and Chaplin Munyaradzi Savanhu, Gweru based pastor Tapiwa Chinyavanhu and top human rights lawyer who is also and member of the SDA church Paidamoyo Saurombe.
