Online Reporter
Tiny Sibanda and Mthokozisi Ncube
A FORMER Child Care Ministries Zimbabwe (CCM) employee, Faris Tembo, is crying foul after being fired over a nine-month relationship with a co-worker, who is also a pastor at Celebration Church, an affiliate of CCM.
Tembo says she was unjustly suspended and later dismissed after seeking the truth about Pastor Leonard Changara’s rumoured upcoming marriage. Changara, who is the younger brother of the church bishop, continues to work at CCM and recently got a promotion, while Tembo was left jobless and struggling to care for her two children.
“I was suspended on April 24, 2023 and the organisation never updated me on the suspension status. Then I received a termination letter without any hearing or investigation,” Tembo said. “I asked why Changara was allowed to keep working while I faced punishment. Their answer was ‘he is family’.’’
In January 2024, a stressed Tembo was called into a meeting with her immediate boss and the HR officer. Already worried about her children’s schooling and with no salary for eight months, she was handed a letter titled
“Settlement of employment and due allowances”. Feeling pressured, she signed it without a witness or proper explanation.
“What makes this unfair is I signed under duress, not in the right frame of mind and had no one to explain the letter. I just focused on the money because I needed it desperately,” she said.
Tembo argues the church and organisation should have separate rules. Her contract never forbade relationships, and hers did not affect her work. Two other pastors involved in workplace relationships were suspended but returned with help from counsellors.
She says the CCM director, Chipo Changara, refused to support her and warned that reporting to the Ministry of Labour would mean she didn’t want her job back. Tembo claims the church targets women while protecting men.
“I want to expose the organisation’s failure to treat staff fairly. I felt unprotected and insecure the entire time,” she said.
Celebration Church spokesperson Pastor Muguta declined to comment by phone and later asked for written questions. At press time, no response had been received.
