HARARE - A church man has dragged the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) to court after the church allegedly failed to pay back his $10 000.

Richman Muguti, a former pastor at Yobel Centre — an AFM branch based in Chinhoyi — says the church borrowed money from him to construct a church house but now does not want to pay back.

“The church owed me $10 000 for the construction of a house but they are refusing to pay me back claiming I am fabricating,” argues Muguti.

He said he is surprised to hear his former colleagues dismissing the application when their signatures appear on papers acknowledging the debt.

“We conducted a meeting with church board members and agreed the sum would be returned soon after the completion of the building but the same members are now refuting the agreement,” he said in court.

However, AFM board members, represented by Marko Chivaridzo, denied owing Muguti.

Another church member Farai Chitemerere, testified, claiming that Muguti was a poor pastor with no capacity to fork out such an amount.

“We managed to acquire the land prior to the pastor’s arrival and by then the pastor was just a mere individual with nothing to show off in terms of material stability,” Chitemerere said.

“It is the church that provided everything; that is from food to blankets. How could he generate $10 000 when he failed to raise money for his wife’s medication,” Chitemerere said.

But Muguti dismissed Chitemerere’s assertion, saying the church benefitted from his largesse.

“How could a man who owns fancy cars like a Pajero, Mercedes Benz, Mazda 626 and a Toyota Corolla fail to buy a blanket? The fact that prior to my arrival there was no development at the church clearly shows my contribution towards the church’s well-being,” said Muguti.

He claimed he was fired after asking the church to repay him. - Shame Manesa