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Paul Mwazha
Ernest Paul Mamvura Mwazha (born 25 October 1918) is a Zimbabwean clergyman known by his followers as Mutumwa,[1][2] which translates to "angelic messenger" in the Shona language. He is the founder and leader of the African Apostolic Church. Early lifeMwazha was born on 25 October 1918,[3] at Holy Cross Mission, Chirumhanzu District, near the small town of Mvuma, in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.[4] Mwazha was initially named Mamvura at birth by his mother Saramina. He was later renamed Paul, based on the Catholic tradition of giving newly baptized children a saint's name.[citation needed] It is believed that he was baptized by Father Schmidt, a German Roman Catholic missionary. Soon after his birth,[5] it is said that he became seriously ill with influenza, and was believed to have subsequently died.[6] This prompted a rushed baptism and he was given the last rites in the church before burial. Immediately after his baptism, Paul allegedly sprung back to life. According to the African Apostolic Church, Father Schmidt and the gathered congregation were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they all uttered in Shona, "Mwana amutsirwe basa, mwana amutsirwe basa, mwana amutsirwe basa," loosely translated to English as 'the child has been raised for a mission.'[7] Mwazha started attending Roman Catholic Catechism classes at the age of 11. After attending a Methodist school, he joined the Methodist Church and became a teacher.[8] MissionIn 1953, Mwazha took part in a spiritual revival led by an evangelist group from the Methodist church. Interdenominational prayer sessions during this revival led to him forming the African Apostolic Church.[9] Now, his church is believed[by whom?] to command a following of over 7 million congregants.[10] The African Apostolic Church has a dress code,[11] and The Herald notes that he has maintained a modest personal life; for almost 56 years. He has not trimmed his beard, a vow he took when he founded the church.[12] He is often called NHUME or Mutumwa by the devotees of the African Apostolic Church, meaning 'God's messenger', as it is believed that Mwazha appears prominently in their dreams fighting their battles spiritually and that he has performed miracles that have changed their lives for the better.[13] He has been consulted by elders in Zimbabwe to pray for a community that has suffered from a wave of murders and heinous crimes.[14] ControversiesIn 2020, members of the church took legal action against Mwazha's plans to name one of his sons, Bishop Alfred Mwazha, as the next leader of the church. The High Court nullified the appointment, and church representatives said they did not recognize actions taken by Bishop Alfred Mwazha in his purported capacity as head of the church.[15] Personal lifePaul Mwazha has seven children; sixteen grandchildren and at least three great-grandchildren.[16][17] His wife, Joyce Makaonesu Mwazha, died of diabetes in April 2017, at the age of 79.[17] Mwazha's sons are all bishops and thus part of the church's leadership.[18] Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, paid a visit to Mwazha's homestead in Harare to congratulate him on reaching 101 years of age in October 2019.[19] External linksReferences
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