THE only surviving son of the Guta RaMwari founder, Joseph
Tayali, has taken his sister to court accusing her of disturbing church
meetings by demanding offerings and threatening to shoot him if he did not
surrender the money.
Sarah (58), represented by lawyer Task Viki, appeared
before Bulawayo magistrate Stephen Ndlovu on Friday where she had applied for
discharge at the close of the State’s case citing lack of evidence linking her
to the charges laid against her.
The magistrate granted the application and acquitted her
due to lack of evidence. In his ruling, the magistrate said the State
witnesses’ evidence did not corroborate.
Allegations against her were that on February 8, Joseph was
conducting a church meeting at the Amphitheatre in Bulawayo.
Sarah allegedly budged into the meeting without being
invited. Prosecutor Nokuthula Chitsungo said Sarah demanded that Joseph uses
the public address system, which he refused saying the meeting was private.
Joseph allegedly asked Sarah to sit down to allow the
meeting to proceed, but she refused. Sarah is said to have demanded church
offerings from Joseph indicating that the church was founded by their father.
Sarah allegedly threatened to shoot Joseph if he refused to
give her the money. Joseph filed a police report, leading to his sister’s
arrest.
In her defence, Sarah submitted that they were children of
the the Guta RaMwari church founder Taxwell Tayali and were both members of the
church’s supreme council.
She stated that Joseph took absolute control of the church
after their father’s death and had been embezzling funds and depriving her of
monthly and quarterly allowances.
“However, by virtue of her right, accused person attended
church meeting and this pissed complainant off who became violent and started
shouting at accused. Complainant even threw a chair at the accused and this
resulted in a heated argument between the two,” Sarah stated in her defence
outline.
She submitted that Joseph made a false report to the police
and fabricated charges to get rid of her. Newsday
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