Freedom of worship at Guta RaMwari

Continued from last week

◆ HE STARTED walking and when He stopped, He asked Mr Gondo as to how many steps He had walked.

Mr Gondo answered that they were 24.

Mr Gondo was further asked, “lf these 24 were husband and wife, how many households would these be?” He replied that these would be 12. He was told, “These are My followers”.

Mr Tayali then reached out, stood in the centre of the worship arena.

Many were overwhelmed by their spirits.

One man asked Him, “As you are God, where are your children?”

Mr Tayali’s reply, God incarnate, was “My children are those who are here in the worship arena.” There was much singing and dancing.

When Mr Tayali placed two men, one on the right and the other on the left, they said, “This man likens himself with the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross.”

They became very angry and started harassing and pushing him back and forth. A young girl possessed by a spirit started head butting Mr Tayali in the stomach.

Their anger worsened because men began pulling Him from the worship arena and dragged him to a small veld where they left Him after they had done what they intended, but Mr Tayali returned to the worship arena.

When they saw Him, they repeated what they had done, He still returned to the congregation. After they had driven Him away for the third time, on His way back, one man came to Him and said, “These people are now very angry, do not return to them”.

This man then escorted Mr Tayali for a short distance across a stream with little water. Mr Tayali sat on a rock facing the direction from which he had come from, with the worship arena in full view. This man was told, “You are Joseph of Aramathea.”

It was about 9am when Mr Tayali saw a young girl bringing a pair of shoes which she placed before Him. Mr Tayali asked her, “What is this?”

The young girl responded, “These are your shoes.”

It was then that Mr Tayali realised that He did not have his shoes on, but only stockings! He did not know as to when and where they had come off! Even the bottoms of his jumper had been pulled off. He thought it was fine to return to the worship arena after service.

Having put on his shoes, He stood up and began walking along a path. He saw two young girls who were just walking and asked them if they had seen what had happened in Guta over the stream and they responded that they had nothing to do with what was happening in Guta.

Mr Tayali returned and sat on the rock, noticing that the service was over, He stood up and returned to Guta.

He met Mrs Emily Zindoga and Mrs Kawondera at the nearest huts. He said to them, “I am now tired, give me a place to sleep and rest.”

They led Him into a hut that was behind a small anthill. Mr Gibson Gondo brought his camp bed and prepared it for him. He lay there for a while. Mrs Emily Zindoga brought some porridge for him to eat. The time had gone past 10am.

On Saturday February 4, 1961, those who had come from work in different towns started arriving. From Bulawayo were leaders like Philip Zindoga, Muzadzi Chitate, Christopher Mulumba and James Bori Tawodzera.

It was then that He took a walk outside with Zindoga, Chitate and Mulumba for relaxation.

Later in the afternoon, there came one man from Harare who started asking many questions one of which was, “Well, as you say that you are God, did you meet God?”

To them the reply was, “How do you ask about meeting Him when it is He who returned.” They got angry and left murmuring. After sunset, one man came and claimed his hut so Mr Tayali was taken to yet another hut, but its owner claimed it also on the very same evening. He was then taken to Alfred Marare’s car where He slept in the company of Leader Phillip Zindoga.

The service started while they were still in the car. Those who were giving testimonies were taking a long time. One witness took too long to the extent that the sheep started bleeping. Mr Tayali told Mr Zindoga that the sheep had been tormented by the long testimony.

Mr Tayali travelled spiritually to many countries, calling the name of the leaders of the particular state and telling each about the events that were going to occur in their nation. “I told one to keep his policy”. The following standing orders were also pronounced.

“The construction of the large Ark will be done by experts — architects. The abolishing of burdensome and oppressive laws among people, rulers and worshippers will be removed because there is no stone that I shall leave on top of another”.

On Sunday February 5, 1961, God and some of His followers, Phillip Zindoga, James Bori Tawodzera and others who had come from Bulawayo left in the morning for Bulawayo in Mr Marare’s car.

Mr Phillip Zindoga was also in the same car as those who had travelled with Him to Chinhoyi had now defected and stayed behind due to what they had seen being done to Mr Tayali.

They finally arrived in Bulawayo at 8pm. Mr Tayali went into the house and the mother of the children asked how the meeting had been. When she was told all that had happened, she indicated that she had been shown everything in her sleep.

Mr Tayali stopped going to Guta for a whole week to allow those who accepted and those who rejected to make up their minds.

He finally went to Guta on February 11, 1961, and what was noted was that the majority were those who rejected Him. They competed for turns to make their testimonies.

Amongst them were the spiteful, abusive and tempered who were extreme in their behaviours which influenced some of those who had initially accepted to change their minds.

However, those who were made steadfast by the spirit of truth maintained their acceptance of God to the time He left with them. From the mul- titude, they were 12 couples. This concludes the transition. It is important to elaborate that this testimony, sequence of events, should not be distorted in any form or manner lest it confuses historians to the detriment of generations to come after us. All this can be corroborated by some of the chosen 12 families who are still alive to this day.

The narrative that “the death of Mr Tayali in 2003 resulted in the GRM splitting into five groups” is fatally defective.

Mr Tayali had appointed Mrs Juliet Chamoto “Holy Messenger” but some of the sect members objected to being led by a woman, resulting in the splits.

This narrative is fatally defective in that not only was Mrs Juliet Chamoto the only woman appointed Holy Messenger by the late Host Tayali, they were and are many who were appointed as Holy Messengers.

For the benefit of the knowledge of the readers, Holy Messengers are healers in Guta Ra Mwari and are not leaders appointed to head the congregation or to take over the responsibilities of the Host of God, far from it.

To this day, there are hundreds of Holy Messengers in Guta Ra Mwari who are conducting the healing of congregants in every service. There was nothing unique in the appointment of Mrs Chamoto as she was appointed just like any other female Holy Messengers in Guta Ra Mwari, without any special reference or preference.

For the record, prior to the death of the Host of God, Mr Taxwell Tayali in 2003, God proclaimed, as contained in the Guta Ra Mwari standing orders and Gods teachings, through Mr Taxwell Tayali on 2nd Mpandula 1998 that, “ln the 1960s I used to tell them that when rains fall, clever people build dams in order to harvest water because when it stops raining there will have somewhere to get water from to use.

“A lot of people would benefit from that water. These days I am telling you that what I was talking about when I spoke of building dams to harness water are the Holy Messengers! So the Power of the Holy Spirit will remain doing its work amongst you.

And the words, “I will not leave this house that I chose” means that the Holy Spirit will remain functional as per my standing orders and commands that I will have put in place”.

“There will not be a place for crooks where it will be said that God is here! I am no longer going to come back and proclaim that I am here, l am God! There will not be a place which will proclaim that God is now here. That will not happen anymore.

“You, who are in Guta Ra Mwari, I have given you commands and standing orders only. The Holly Spirit will continue to work amongst you.

“I am now going to be inside each and every one of you as long as you follow the standing orders and my teachings. The Holy Spirit shall continue to work in you.

“However, as I teach you and educate you, others listen and understand while others do not understand. To those who understand, let it be your responsibility to teach those who do not understand, like those who have experienced the power of God doing good works for them. You are the vessels of truth.”

I will not dwell on the reasons for factions within the Guta Ra Mwari and leave that as a subject for another day, nor will I attempt to respond to the narrative that “lost members are returning to GRJ”.

When one visits Guta Ra Mwari, they can draw their own conclusions on the value of this statement or otherwise, as there is no competition between GRJ and Guta Ra Mwari, nor is there any coercion of the public to join Guta Ra Mwari but a mere self-wish for people to remain where they realise the workings of the Holy Spirit and the effect of Gods teachings in their lives and generations after them.

People are healed in Guta Ra Mwari owing to the presence of the power of God in Guta Ra Mwari.

The multitudes of those who remain in Guta Ra Mwari, including this writer, are there because of the benefits of healing we derive from this religious organisation and not because anyone forces us to remain in Guta Ra Mwari.

Like in any organisation that exercises freedom of worship as enshrined in our Constitution, people are free to come and go wherever they want and that is a human phenomenon, but the numbers at Guta Ra Mwari speak volumes of why we remain in Guta Ra Mwari. ◆ M Manzini is the Secretary-general for Guta Ra Mwari, Headquarters Tshabalala, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe