PROMINENT Bulawayo pastor and founder of Praise and Worship
Centre Bishop Trust Sinjoki has been accused of sexually harassing female
congregants at his church.
A number of women have alleged they were forced to leave
the church due to the senior pastor’s sexual advances.
They alleged he hugs them inappropriately and touches them
indecently. Congregants have accused senior church leaders of turning a blind
eye to the alleged abuse.
The bishop allegedly abuses members in between church
services. In an interview yesterday, Bishop Sinjoki said he knew about the
sexual harassment complaints but professed his innocence.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s not true. My stance as a
Christian is to apologise whether I offended someone knowingly or unknowingly.
I apologise to the church family and family and friends,” he said.
Bishop Sinjoki said the matter had been discussed in
various platforms in the church without evidence to nail him.
“I’m aware of the allegation, the hear-say and talk that
has been around. We sat with a couple of people who said they heard that. We
thrashed it out with those people as far as I know. Those that I have been told
to apologise to, I have apologised. I wasn’t aware of why I apologised to them.
Whoever brought it up to you knows that I have apologised,” he said.
One of the church members, Ms Loreen Ncube, said despite
the pastor’s public apology, more women have continued to raise sexual
violation complaints against him.
She said she has taken up the matter with the church elders
who seem not to be taking action.
A former church member, Ms Lifaqane Nare, who has a close
relative who lodged a complaint against the Bishop, said the church was
protecting him. Ms Nare said more women can open up if the case is made public.
“This has been going on for a long time. And it has
happened to a number of people. It ranges from inappropriate touching, making
you uncomfortable, to outright indecent assault,” she said.
“I do not think the church leadership has handled this
well. If they had, it would not be continuing and even escalating. It would not
be happening right in the church building, even in between services.”
She said the problem with church institutions is that
pastors have been made sacred people who cannot do wrong. “The church talks
about not touching the anointed. I am no longer sure whether this means only
the pastor is anointed and everyone else may be sacrificed at the altar of his
pleasures,” Ms Nare said.
“The pastor has authority and power and the veil of silence
protects him. In that kind of environment, a sexual predator will always
flourish preying on the young women in the church: playing victim when he is
caught and taking no responsibility for his actions.
“He is accountable to no one. And with our silence, we all
become enablers, helping him to continue preying on the next and next.”
Praise and Worship Centre Elders said Bishop Sinjoki was
under investigation for sexual offences. “As elders of Praise and Worship
Centre, we received allegations of sexual misconduct against Bishop Trust
Sinjoki from some of the congregants. We have since instituted a verification
and investigation process, which is underway,” said the Elders in a statement.
“As elders and the church, we don’t condone any acts of
sexual misconduct or sexual harassment of women in any form, we take such
issues seriously.”
Cases of sexual harassment involving man of cloth are in
the increase in the country.
Recently, a Bishop at the Church Ways of Salvation
Apostolic in Bulawayo was sentenced to 21 years in prison for raping his
daughter while telling her he had been instructed to do so by the Holy Spirit.
The Bishop (49), a father of six, started raping his
daughter when she was 14-years-old after she had been raped by a neighbour. He
would tell the now 19-year-old that she was “extremely beautiful” but he could
not marry her as she was his daughter. Chronicle
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