Online Reporter
Dr Matthew Mare-Herald Correspondent
Archbishop Paul Mwazha began his ministry during colonial times, where he, along with other founding members of African-initiated churches, endured many trials faced by proponents of the indigenous churches.
Thus, Mwazha played a significant role before, during and after independence and unlike other church leaders, he would constantly pray for his country and refused futile attempts by opposition parties to recruit him. He remained guided by Romans 13:13, the church leaders must serve, protect and safeguard the government of the day because God himself divinely ordained it.
Morally, Archbishop Mwazha preached against pillaging of our culture and died conservatively refusing to condone ungodly practices such as LGBTQ rights, drug and substance abuse, and he advanced family unity by preaching against adultery and domestic violence.
Women in his church are empowered, and abused victims are being accorded justice and child marriages are completely outlawed in his church.
Thus, he promoted moral fabric in line with the vision by President Mnangagwa that “nyika inovakwa nekunamatirwa nevene vayo”. In a message coined by the Zimbabwean philanthropist Wicknel Chivhayo when he gifted the talented cleric on his birthday on October 25 2025, he acknowledged the unifying gift that was in the archbishop and, above all, his commitment and support for ZANU PF.
Most significantly, when the President visited the cleric on his birthday, he highlighted the important role the archbishop played in ensuring that there is unity and peace in the country.
He also thanked the cleric for the unwavering support the church offered to ZANU PF since 1963, when the party was formed.
ZANU PF was formed at a time when religious resistance to colonialism was already at an advanced stage, and the orthodox churches had since allowed blacks to take up meaningful positions in the body of Christ.
To demonstrate his pan Africanism and the love for African people, he practised African evangelism at a time when the colonial government considered African attempts to achieve any form of autonomy as an act of insurgency and terrorism.
Archbishop Mwazha emerged as one of Africa’s greatest evangelists, teachers, and has touched many lives and a unifier. Above all, he has been a mentor to countless leaders, and by standing against colonialism, he distinguished himself as a beacon of hope, patriotism and the driver of the pan African agenda.
The vacuum left by Mutumwa Mwazha in promoting peace and praying for his nation cannot be easily filled. He was a nation builder who united his church, and he was able to contain the religious malcontents in his church, which demonstrates that indeed wisdom comes with age.
In a population of almost 16.5 million citizens, Archbishop Mwazha commands over a million followers, and on numerous occasions, the late MDC leaders would attend his church services with the view to recruiting him, but he adamantly remains a ZANU PF supporter and comrade in arms.
His followers are known staunch supporters of the ruling party, ZANU PF, and we are optimistic that they would continue to follow the path and dependability that Archbishop Mwazha instructed to all his followers. The teachings and exemplary living by a church leader are the basis upon which the theology of the church is formed.
The archbishop was the beacon of early pan Africanism; he affirmed his black consciousness and pride in Africanism as espoused in the regularly chanted church mantra ‘Africa Yedu’ which means our Africa.
This is done as a reminder and steer black consciousness amid changing times. The church regalia of white garment symbolises peace and he died a peace initiator.
He would steer pan-Africanism through dress code, teachings, and public conduct. Now that archbishop is late, it is not expectant of his children to propel divisions and the death of Mutumwa should be reason for the warring parties to reunite and bury the hatchet and push Africa forward as Mutumwa would always say Africa forward and never backwards.
These are some of the known words that Mutumwa would always echo at the height of colonialism and at a period when the seeds of nationalism were beginning to erupt like maggots.
The early nationalists had an African agenda of liberating Africa from its colonial bondage, and these proponents of African independent churches were the first group of church rebels to challenge the orthodox churches that actively supported the status quo, when it was supposed to challenge the colonial hegemony.
Archbishop Mwazha was both a theological comrade who left the orthodox church and joined hands with Johanne Marange and Johanne Masowe to leave a theological revolution that had seen churches such as the Roman Catholic church surrendering the church to the locals through the Vatican 11 resolution of 1962.
Through this push, the orthodox churches stopped sending missionaries to Africa and their theological mentality of thinking that only a white person should be a nun and a priest.
It is not in dispute that Mwazha remained and died a staunch ZANU PF supporter, from its early years of formation up to the point of his death.
He is indeed a war hero with a bible in his hand, and according to Sun Tzu, war is fought from many fronts, and for the liberation struggle to be won, each member of the society played his or her own role.
