THE leader of a Chitungwiza Pentecostal church, who earlier this year was in the spotlight for dumping his wife of 18 years for a 21-year-old congregant, has been arrested for fraud.

He was expected to appear in court over the weekend. He was arrested on Thursday.

Ezekiel Masiyandima, 44, who leads Ebenezer Prophetic Ministries, initially had a case opened at St Mary’s Police Station under CR Number 65/05/23.

He now faces a fraud charge.

Masiyandima stands accused of having sold a non-existent stand in Epworth to a congregant for US$2 500. According to police sources, the transaction took place in St Mary’s.

When the complainant visited the site in Epworth, he found out that someone had already built a structure at the stand.

 

This led to the arrest of the man of the cloth.

Earlier this year, Masiyandima crashed into the spotlight when he opted out of his marriage to Portia Chiwanga, 38.

They had been together for 18 years.

He went on to marry a younger woman, Melania Madamombe, 21, a development which divided the church.

Masiyandima argued his first wife was accusing him of witchcraft as the couple had lost three of their five children in mysterious circumstances.

This, according to allegations by the former wife, happened after the prophet had visited T.B Joshua’s SCOAN in Nigeria.

He is alleged to have also made a visit to see the late Nigerian prophet’s wife, according to Chiwanga, who went on to label her estranged husband a womaniser and abuser.

WHEN ZIM PROPHET LEFT WIFE FOR GIRLFRIEND

The leader of Ebenezer Prophetic Ministries in Chitungwiza, Ezekiel Masiyandima, caused division within his church when he left his wife of 18 years, Portia Chiwanga, for a younger congregant, Melania Madamombe.

According to reports, many members of the congregation are boycotting services in protest of Masiyandima’s actions. Masiyandima claimed that he married Melania because his wife accused him of using witchcraft following his visits to Nigerian pastor T.B. Joshua’s church and the mysterious deaths of their three children.

However, Portia accused Masiyandima of being a womanizer, abuser, drunkard, and crook.

She regretted marrying him and said that instead of building her faith in God, he dampened her faith and spirit. Portia also alleged that Masiyandima manipulated church members to help pay lobola for his new young wife and never paid a cent for her lobola for 18 years.

AND

A Chitungwiza self-proclaimed prophet has caused division within his church after leaving his wife of eighteen years and marrying a younger woman from the same congregation. Ezekiel Masiyandima (44) of Ebenezer Prophetic Ministries left his wife, Portia Chiwanga (38), for 21-year-old Melania Madamombe, resulting in a significant number of congregants reportedly boycotting church services in protest.

Masiyandima confirmed to H-Metro that he married Melania because Portia accused him of dabbling in witchcraft after his visit to the late Nigerian pastor, T.B. Joshua’s church and the mysterious deaths of three of their children. He claimed that Portia attacked him for his visits to see Prophet TB Joshua, and that her parents were misled by white garment prophets who gave falsehoods about the causes of their children’s deaths.

Portia, on the other hand, regretted marrying Masiyandima and alleged that he was a womanizer, abuser, drunkard, and crook who would come home drunk and assault her for no reason. She accused him of devising ways to take church members’ money and not building her faith in God, which dampened her faith and spirit. She also claimed that three of their five children died mysteriously, and she didn’t rule out his so-called mysterious prayers. Portia further accused Masiyandima of turning to younger women, including living with a woman he hasn’t paid lobola for, and manipulating church members to help pay lobola for his new young wife.