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Senior Court Reporter
MEMBERS of a faction of the troubled Guta RaMwari Church in Bulawayo yesterday caused another fracas at the Western Commonage Magistrates’ courtyard when they menacingly charged at a Chronicle photographer before confiscating his camera and a cellphone.They were angry after he took a picture of their leader, Joseph Tayali, as he was coming out of his trial for assaulting a congregant during a church service.
Snapper Obey Sibanda said he had just finished taking pictures when the group led by Tayali confronted and started harassing him.
“Why are you taking us pictures without first seeking authority from us? Uyasijayela wena mfana (You’re showing disrespect young man).
We’ll teach you a lesson,” charged Tayali.
Sibanda said Tayali then grabbed him and snatched his cellphone and camera, while ordering him to delete the pictures.
“We started arguing and a prison officer immediately came to my rescue and took the camera away from Tayali before he handed it over to a security guard manning the premises.”
A police officer was called to the scene and took the rowdy Guta RaMwari Church members to his office where Sibanda was given back his camera.
Tayali, 49, of Killarney suburb in Bulawayo, is facing charges of assaulting a member of a rival camp, Joseph Malunga, during a church service.
Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Dube heard how on the morning of 30 June, Tayali took to the pulpit while Josiah Dube, the leader of a rival faction, was delivering a sermon and ordered him to sit down.
When Josiah refused to leave the podium, there was commotion during which the service chairman, Edwin Ndlovu, tried to intervene and ordered Tayali to calm down.
Prosecuting, Frank Ncube told the court that as Tayali was refusing to comply with the order, Ndlovu quickly signalled the congregation to sing a hymn marking the end of the service.
“As Dube was leaving the podium, the enraged Tayali charged at Ndlovu before he picked a table and smashed it against the floor and in the process the pieces of the damaged table hit Malunga resulting in a fracas between the two men,” said Ncube.
Tayali was restrained by other members from further assaulting Malunga. The church, founded by the late Taxwell Tayali and his wife, Laizah Tayali in 1962, has of late been rocked by serious in-fighting resulting in members dragging each other to court.
Joseph Tayali is the surviving son of the church founder. A previous court order by Justice Lawrence Kamocha ordered the two factions to worship in peace.
The magistrate postponed Tayali’s trial to Friday.
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