Tinashe Sambiri
Prominent constitutional lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu, who is closely associated with opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, has taken legal action against the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, accusing it of desecrating its pulpit by allowing senior ZANU PF figures to promote partisan political views during a church service.
In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the SDA leadership on Wednesday, Advocate Mpofu—through Mtetwa and Nyambirai Legal Practitioners—expressed deep dismay at what he described as a “perverse and degenerate” act that has shaken his faith in the church.
“It has become necessary for action to be taken against the SDA Church,” said Mpofu. “I thank the royal gladiator, Beatrice Mtetwa, for agreeing to go to war with me. It is necessary for us to say NO to degenerate madness and nonsense.”
The letter outlines Advocate Mpofu’s outrage at events that took place on June 14, 2025, during an evangelical campaign dubbed Operation Macedonia in Nyanga. According to Mpofu, ZANU PF-linked businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei invited Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe—now also a ZANU PF politician—to address congregants from the SDA pulpit without the prior consent of the church’s regional leaders.
Once on the pulpit, Sanyatwe is said to have made “partisan political declarations,” including the assertion that ZANU PF would govern Zimbabwe indefinitely, mockingly claiming its rule would only end when “donkeys grow horns.” He also dismissed previous objections to such statements as mere “barking.”
“Our client is a baptised member of the SDA Church and fellowships in an area under the East Zimbabwe Conference (EZC) and the Zimbabwe East Union Conference (ZEUC),” the letter reads. “It does not help matters that this unblushing blasphemy occurred during an evangelical campaign and would have served to reduce the SDA Church in the eyes of the converts to a fly-by-night outfit prepared to append itself to political fortune.”
Advocate Mpofu further took aim at SDA leaders Pastor Musara (ZEUC President) and Pastor Timuri (EZC President), who were reportedly present during the incident but failed to intervene. “The fact that Messrs Musara and Timuri did nothing to arrest the desecration, did not stand to correct it and have still not done anything to this very day can only mean that they make common cause with it,” the letter stated.
The legal complaint references violations of several governing documents within the SDA Church, including the SID Working Policy, which strictly forbids using denominational platforms for personal or partisan gain. Specific reference was made to Section S 55 25, which prohibits associating the denomination with outside political or business interests.
“Our client contends that the misuse of the SDA pulpit on the holy Sabbath of the Lord is a violation and negation of the SID Working Policy, the ZEUC Constitution, the EZC Constitution, the SDA Church Manual, as well the Holy Scriptures to whose authority the church unerringly yields,” the lawyers argued.
Quoting from the SDA Church Manual, the letter emphasized that “the pulpit must be reserved for the preaching of the truths of the Divine Word,” not for the “advancement of political views.”
In closing, Mpofu’s lawyers warned that failure to address the issue not only undermines the spiritual integrity of the church but also risks reducing it to a “political tool.”
“The only kingdom that has the durability suggested by Sanyatwe is that of Christ and, as it turns out, it is only for that kingdom that the SDA pulpit is consecrated,” the letter concluded.
As of now, the SDA Church leadership has not issued a public response to the legal action.