A newly wedded couple was
last week was censured from
Seventh Day Adventist by
Sizinda SDA elders in
Zimbabwe for dancing to
worldly music at their wedding. Tinevimbo Maphosa and his
wife, Moreblessing Sibanda
were suspended from active
participation in church
programs. Church elders are
said to be angry that the bride, Sibanda was doing ‘get down’
at her wedding held at
Reynolds Inn on 7 July.
Maphosa and Sibanda are not
the only casualties of the
church’s decision. Three members of their bridal team
who are also youths at Sizinda
SDA were affected.
Mayibongwe Ncube, Tinotenda
Nyakawa and Wellington
Gurajena were given six months censure and two years
ban for taking part in the
wedding and dancing to
circular music. B Metro reported that the
songs which are Follow the
leader by Dj Cyko ft zahara, Dj
Ganyani ft Busiswa’s Xigubhu
as well Dr Malinga’s via
Orlando. Maphosa refused to comment on the matter but
sources said church board
members banned him and his
wife but exonerated the
wedding committee which
gave permission to the playing of music. The development has created
apostasy within Sizinda SDA
church. Youths are now
accusing church board
members and elders of
tribalism and favoritism when it comes to instituting
disciplinary decisions. Irate
youths took to social
networking site to express
their disgust over how the
respectable church has gone to the dogs. An angry youth Wellington
Gurajena posted: “For so long I
have been quite but enough is
enough. Just because I am
young, I am SHONA and I
don’t have a father doesn’t mean I am subject to someone.
Today Sizinda church passed
out a judgment that the
following trio; Mayibongwe,
Tinotenda Nyakawa and
Wellington Gurajena were given six months censure and
two years ban for participating
in weddings and for dancing to
circular music.” Sacarstically,
Gurajena inquired if the
censure is constitutional or it was targeted move. “Lol is that
constitutional or it was a
targeted move. To me that was
a clear sign of NEPOTISM and
TRIBALISM just because it was
Shona wedding now it’s a crime. We saw the Moyos,
Ndlovu’s Ngwenyas, Mhlangas
wedding and by then oh
circular music was a cherry of
the day and no one
complained.” The youth went on to accuse
church board members and
some elders of being the
untouchables because some
have girlfriends while others
go clubbing but have never been brought to book as per
church doctrine. He said when
a church elder take funds from
the church for personal use
they are not censured, when a
senior member of the church sits and chants vulgar at public
places like political rallies and
soccer matches they are not
censured and also when a
senior member of the church
beats someone in front of the church and kids they are not
censured. A source said there are
stinking levels of favoritism at
the church because relatives of
senior members of the church
have become pregnant outside
of marriage and have never been censured. Youth also
accused church board
members and elders of
sleeping around and getting
away with it because they sit
on lofty perches and look at others especially youth with
disdain. While most youths were
visibly angry, some tried to be
voices of reason. “STOP IT, I
repeat STOP IT this whole
scenario is making me feel sick.
This is not the proper way of solving church issues. Let me
warn you my brothers and
sisters I don’t give a sh**
whether Wellington is right or
wrong nor the church is right
or wrong nor Ndebele nor Shona, whatever the issue
might be ,but this is not the
proper way of handling church
issues. I am very
disappointed,” Prince Moyo
wrote. Another youth, Kelvin Mthabisi
Moyo said the matters arising
have the potential of triggering
a war within the church. “Uhm
Welly this is controversial and
surely, the church will divide. World war was triggered by a
16 year old if I am not
mistaken,” Moyo said. A
church elder only identified as
Banwell refused to comment
on the matter referring all the questions to the person who
brought the story. “I can’t say
anything to you. Get all the
details from the person who
gave you the story,” he said