Online Reporter
Online Reporter
ELDERS of the Gospel of God Church International believe that the April 10 High Court ruling blocking the exhumation of the church’s founder, Peter Jack Masedza — who is venerated by followers as Baba Johanne Masowe — from his final resting place on Dandadzi Hills, just outside
Rusape, has averted the desecration of a shrine from which most of the church’s followers get their blessings.
Johanne Masowe was buried at the shrine in 1973.
However, the burial site recently became the subject of legal intrigue after his sons — Magaga and Reuben Masedza — embarked on a relentless campaign to exhume and relocate their father’s remains to Marondera.
The Government had previously authorised the duo to move their father’s remains to a more accessible location, sparking fierce opposition from the church leadership, who viewed the move as a violation of the site’s profound spiritual significance.
Legal intrigue
The church’s legal representatives, led by Advocate Sylvester Hashiti and Adv Edley Mubaiwa, argued that the exhumation was approved without proper legal procedure, especially in the absence of a hearing for the church.
“The decision was taken without adhering to the law, which requires the Minister (of Home Affairs) to initiate the process and consider all objections,” Adv Hashiti asserted.
In his April 20 ruling, High Court judge Justice Regis Dembure sided with the church, declaring the authorisation by the Provincial Administrator, Mrs Joice Munamati, to be unlawful.
“The decision …to exhume the remains from the applicant’s shrine is in violation of the Administrative Justice Act and is hereby set aside,” he ruled, effectively putting the exhumation on hold.
Yet, the sons remain undeterred.
Their lawyer, Mr Nickiel Mushangwe, emphasised that the court’s order only resets the administrative process.
“Our clients retain the right granted by the High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court to exhume their father. This is a minor procedural setback, not a denial of their substantive rights,” he explained, vowing to resubmit the application promptly.
The dispute has stirred deep emotions within the community.
A fortnight ago, armed young men guarded the shrine’s entrance, preventing visitors and signalling the church’s fierce resistance to the move.
Mr Mushangwe’s formal notice of the planned exhumation, set for April 2, heightened tensions further.
At the heart of this decades-long saga is a clash between familial rights and religious sanctity.
The sons argue for accessibility and dignity in relocating their father, while the church insists the original burial site is sacred, chosen by Masowe himself.
The courts have weighed in repeatedly.
In December, the Supreme Court confirmed the sons’ right to initiate exhumation proceedings but stressed that only Government authorities, not the Judiciary, can authorise the removal of remains.
The court dismissed claims that the shrine should be exempt from the Cemeteries Act, affirming that all exhumations must follow legal protocols.
Justice Susan Mavangira, in her judgment, noted: “The applicants have a right to seek the exhumation… Whether they succeed is up to the administrative authorities.”
She further criticised the church’s appeal, stating it “appears to be appealing against an idea, not an order”, underscoring the legal necessity of following due process.
As the legal drama unfolds, the future of Johane Masowe’s remains hangs in the balance, emblematic of a broader struggle between tradition, law and the deep-rooted faith of a community unwilling to let go of its founding spiritual figure.
Divine decree
Commenting on the recent ruling, church elders said the exhumation would have been a violation of “divine decree”.
They accuse one of Johanne Masowe’s sons in particular, Magaga, of pursuing a self-serving plot to rebury the remains on his private farm in Marondera.
They also believe that this is designed to attract thousands of devotees to his private property, thereby misrepresenting himself to congregates as the new leader.
Further, it is the contention of church elders that the exhumation will be prejudicial to Baba Johanne Masowe’s widows, who have spent most of their lives at the shrine as “devoted guardians of his legacy”.
Magaga is allegedly weaponising his familial influence and exploiting the widows’ vulnerability to “strip them of their estate”.
For now, the saga continues.
