(Last Updated on January 23, 2016 by Editor)
ZIMBABWE – A Chitungwiza pastor who is facing allegations of hiring a hit man to kill two members of his church who had rebelled against him wept in court when one of the complainant’s witness was testifying against him.
Pastor Thomas Makoni pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges when he appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate Renikah Dzikiti.
The matter has been remanded to today to allow more witnesses to testify.
The husband to Afra Nhanhanga, who is one of the complainants in the matter said he heard Pastor Makoni planning to petrol bomb his house.
“I ended up staying at a local hotel with my wife and we had to take the children to my brother-in-law’s house since our lives were at risk.
“I was called by Talent whom he had hired to kill my wife and I overheard Pastor Makoni over the phone saying that he wanted to kill my wife by petrol bombing the house,” he said.
During the trial, Talent Nyakunengwa, who appeared in court as the witness for the complainants Afra Nhanhanga and Kudakwashe Elliot, alleged that he was the one who was sent by pastor Makoni to kill the two.
“Sometime in June this year, he (Pastor Makoni) came to me in the company of one gentleman at around 12 midnight.
“I got into their car and that was when he explained he had a job for me to assassinate and bomb some people from his church, whom he said were causing chaos and exposing him to the congregation.
“He said I was supposed to beat the two to the point of death. He then told me that once I was done with the first assignment I was supposed to go and blow another house belonging to Afra Nhanhanga using a petrol bomb.
“He went on to tell Talent that he was also not doing as he had instructed him. I also heard the Pastor telling Talent that he was going to give him a car as well as US$100 per person killed,” he said.
“I told my wife about it and we got so disturbed, we had no choice that was why we ended up vacating from our house,” he added.