by Gideon Madzikatidze
HARARE – Church properties under the late revered Assemblies of God (AoG)-Spiritual Movement (AoG-SM) leader, Francis Nyika, are under siege from a rivalry by a faction claiming ownership.
The late Nyika who established some church properties around Zimbabwe during his tenure of office before he died in 2020.
Currently under youthful cleric, Phillip Zinyama, who is an appointee by late Nyika, AoG-SM faced some fights from another denomination under the Assemblies of God-Back To God (AoG-BTG) which is pushing to takeover some of the properties through fraudulent means, which has seen excessive resistance.
Since its formation during the colonial era, the Assemblies of God church has many denominations that have been established.
Sources claim that AoG-BTG leaders are plotting to claim ownership of all AoG denominations’ properties, including those belonging to AoG-SM.
“They are plotting to claim ownership of church properties by stating that they belong to AoG,” the source said.
“We are aware that AoG-BTG has even redesigned their church billboards to just AoG, a move meant to target properties owned by other AoG denominations,” the source added.
In Marondera and Mbare, the AoG-BTG church has since erected new billboards only inscribed AoG from the initial inscription AoG-BTG.
Meanwhile, a bitter war has also erupted over the AoG constitution, which the Nathan Setlhako-led denomination is using to lay claim to property.
The church constitution was signed by Setlhako in 1999 despite him being appointed at the helm in 2017.
“The issue of this constitution is contentious. Setlhako was appointed as AoG-BTG leader in 2017 but we have a 1999 constitution bearing his signature, it is scary, it is fraud in broad daylight,” the source said.
“Setlhako also allegedly signed two different copies of the same constitution but with different people signing as general secretary,” added the source.
Accordingly and before the High Court in Harare, there are three copies of the September 11, 1999, constitution, one copy signed by Setlhako as executive chairman while Lindani Dube signed as General secretary, with another copy however signed by Setlhako as executive chairman and one Silas Mhazo as general secretary whereas the last one an unsigned copy.
This means that there are three versions of AoG constitutions across three different cases at the Harare High Court.
Chipo Mahlangu of Maposa Mahlangu Attorneys is representing AoG-BTG in all three cases.
“This obviously means that the lawyer had sight of all three versions before submitting them on behalf of her client,” the source added.
Mahlangu is also a member of AoG-BTG according to her interview with Afrodimensions news.
There is also conflict of interest since according to Setlhako’s biography that is currently on the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) website, he was appointed as AoG boss in 2017 of which he (Setlhako) is a board member at EFZ.
“Bishop Nathan Setlhako is the second successor after the founder of Assemblies of God Church and Back To God ministry,” the source said.
Some of the church properties belonging to AoG-SM under siege include one in Chivhu and another in Marondera while both parties (AoG-SM and AoG-BTG) are currently before the courts over the ownership wrangle.
Efforts to get a comment from Setlhako were fruitless. The first Rhodesian AoG assembly started in an assembly in South Africa (East London). It was during Christmas in 1953 when two families from the then Salisbury visited East London.
They were Dulcie Roberts and their two children Ray and Ann, and The Onions and their family Victor, David, and Margaret. The families then asked Reverend Jim Mullan to start a church in Salisbury, which he did.
He then arranged for the Enersons to transfer to Salisbury and during this time, the Gospel and Bible Study meetings were held in Emblem Hall, and the prayer and Breaking of Bread services were held in someone’s board room downtown.
Meanwhile, in Bulawayo, Ted and Lals Richardson and their daughter Ruth had moved from Belgian Congo and pioneered Bethshan assembly.
In 1957, there were just two Assemblies of God congregations in Rhodesia: the McCleary Avenue Assembly in Salisbury, pioneered by Mullan and Bethshan in Bulawayo pioneered by Ted and Lal Richardson.
Reverend John Bond, after taking over from the Enersons at the McCleary assembly in Salisbury, asked Reverend Nicholas Bhengu in 1959 who was a South African black preacher to come and preach to the blacks as up to this point AOG was only found amongst the whites.
Bhengu came with the Back to God crusade and started preaching to the blacks, hence establishing Assemblies of God-Back To God Movement.
In 1960, Arch Bishop Guti, after being mentored by Bhengu, went on and founded Assemblies of God Africa, now known as Zaoga. Later, around 1966, Apostle Simon Winston Mukolo started preaching in Hwange some white missionaries from Livingston linked him to Zambian Reverend Kekani. Due to the liberation struggle at that time, it was difficult to work with Zambian nationals.
So the white missionaries who were in Hwange then referred him to Reverend John Bond, who connected him to Reverend Nicholas Bhengu, who mentored him and helped him to pioneer AOG Hwange.
By the late 1960’s to early 1970’s the following ministries had been setup amongst the whites, Bethshan, 6th Avenue Bulawayo, Umtali, Gwelo and Mc Cleary Avenue these went on to form 1 single united fellowship of congregations called ‘The Group’.
On the other hand, the blacks had three independent ministries, namely Back To God, ZAOGA, and AOG Hwange.
In 1978, after moving from Bulawayo to Marondera as an answer to God’s call to go to Mashonaland Reverend Francis, Nyika arrived in Marondera and started preaching.
He then met a white AOG Pastor Paddy McCoun, who, after confirming his call, took him to Salisbury, where he saw Reverend Bhengu.
Subsequently, Reverend Nyika went on to meet Reverend Bhengu, who mentored him and helped him to pioneer Assembly of God now known as Assemblies of God-Spiritual Movement.
By 1980, the blacks had now managed to pioneer 4 independent ministries, i.e., Back To God, Zaoga, AOG Hwange, and Spiritual Movement.
It is the radical approach adopted at the 1938 AOG conference in South Africa that allowed people to branch out and establish groups of their own, whilst simply adopting the “Statement of Fundamental Truths” (Things Commonly Believed Among Us) as a sign of affiliation to the AoG Fellowship around the world.
This therefore gave room or opportunity for ministers to purchase, own and control property under their own ministries as well as govern their own affairs.