AFM Pastor Kidnapped, Threatened With Death By Rival Faction
An Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe pastor and his wife were allegedly kidnapped and held for five hours by a rival faction on 15 August.
Odzi assembly Pastor Daniel Veru told NewsDay that he was threatened with death if he failed to surrender church property as the wrangle to control AFM church between Amon Madawo and Cossam Chiangwa escalates.
He has since filed a report for kidnapping at Odzi Police Station under RRB4656105. Said Veru:
After the Supreme Court ruling, in which we won the right to control the church; we went to court so that Simbarashe Chizunza from Chiyangwa’s faction return our church property, Chizunza was ordered to return the property to me.
Chizunza complied and returned the property, but recently, when the government ordered that the churches should be reopened on August 15, I went to church with my wife so that we could reopen the church only to be shocked to see Chizunza and members of his faction camped at the church premises.
I was manhandled and kidnapped together with my wife. They held me captive for almost five hours; they told me never to set my foot at the church as they would kill me.
They forcibly took away keys to the church building and took musical instruments and chairs.
Madawo was recently declared the legitimate AFM leader by the Supreme Court, following a similar ruling by the High Court in 2019.
