By Own Correspondent.
Pastors in Mutare have raised concerns over a questionable housing scheme allegedly linked to Rev. Obadiah Musindo, who is accused of attempting to collect money for non-existent residential stands.
Rev. Musindo, who previously left the Destiny of Africa Network under a cloud of controversy after allegedly deceiving hundreds of home seekers in Mutare, has resurfaced and is reportedly using a similar approach to solicit funds.
A number of pastors who spoke to this publication expressed concern that Rev. Musindo, with the support of Pastor Itai Chibanda, has been recruiting pastors from various denominations to join the suspected fraudulent housing scheme.
“We’ve received messages inviting us to join Rev. Musindo’s housing scheme. Yes, we are in need of residential stands, but the terms are unclear. They’re asking us to pay small amounts, promising to show us the stands afterward,” said one pastor, who requested anonymity.
Furthermore, “We lost a lot of money during his time with Destiny of Africa Network, and it seems like he’s attempting to deceive unsuspecting pastors again.”
Another pastor, who also requested anonymity, voiced similar concerns.
Moreover, “We were abandoned by Mr. Musindo years ago. Since then, the new management at Destiny of Africa Network has worked hard to ensure that those who were duped received their stands. We urge Mr. Musindo to cooperate with others so that beneficiaries can pay without fear of being scammed,” he said in a phone call with this reporter on Wednesday.
A homeseeker who indentified himself as BaChoga said he was duped of thousands of dollars by Reverend Musindo and would advice others against falling for the trap.
“I got scammed by this supposed Man of God.I lost thousands of dollars investing in a non-existent residential stand.I am still bitter and I wonder why he goes scott-free after all the evil he did to us,”he said.
A message sent to a WhatsApp group by Pastor Chibanda, a close associate of Rev. Musindo, invited pastors to a meeting regarding the housing scheme at a local hotel.
“I’m in Mutare now preparing for the servant of God meeting with Rev. Obadiah Musindo, the founder and president of Destiny of Africa Network. Join us on Saturday at Skyview Hotel at 10 a.m. with your spouses. Let’s come together to hear directly from the source about the special arrangements for housing stands and other projects for the servants of God. Every pastor deserves a place to stay and the opportunity to engage in beneficial projects,” read the message.
Meanwhile,a woman who once worked with Musindo while still in High School revealed another dark side of Musindo.
“I read a post about Rev Musindo on Whatsapp about his shenanigans and it brought back sad memories of how he abused girls from the African Girl Movement which he initiated.
“We would go around the country speaking about girl empowerment but in the end Reverend Musindo was taking advantage of some girls and abusing them,”said the woman who requested anonymity.
Investigations by this publication revealed that Rev. Musindo has opened a new office near the original Destiny of Africa Network Housing Trust premises in Mutare’s Central Business District (CBD), where he is reportedly collecting money from unsuspecting home seekers.
When contacted for comment, Mr. Wilson Masokovere, chairperson of the Destiny of Africa Network Housing Trust, criticized Rev. Musindo’s actions, calling them unauthorized.
“What Mr. Musindo is doing is illegal. He remains a member of the original trust, but he’s running parallel offices. We are warning people not to pay money to this fraudulent office,” said Mr. Masokovere.
“He pulled a similar stunt in 2021, and now he’s back with his schemes. There is no land available in Mutare, so I don’t know what land he’s claiming or issuing receipts for,” he added.
Efforts to contact Rev. Musindo for comment were unsuccessful by the time of publication. Repeated attempts to reach his associate, Pastor Chibanda, also went unanswered