By A Correspondent — The body of the late African Apostolic Church founder, Archbishop Paul Mwazha, will today be airlifted to Guvambwa for body viewing ahead of his burial under strict church protocols on Sunday — a decision that has ignited national debate after his family rejected government attempts to inter him at the National Heroes Acre.
Archbishop Mwazha, the revered leader of the African Apostolic Church (VaApostora veAfrica), died on 20 November 2025 at the age of 107. Although President Emmerson Mnangagwa immediately conferred national hero status on him, his family firmly insisted on a private, religious burial consistent with church tradition.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the burial would be conducted by close relatives and the church, in accordance with the family’s wishes. Mwazha will be laid to rest in Chirasauta, Chikomba District, Mashonaland East Province.
According to the funeral programme, the late Archbishop’s remains were on Friday collected from Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour and taken to the family home in Hatfield. A church service was held from 7 pm to 10 pm.
On Saturday, 29 November, his body will be airlifted to Guvambwa for body viewing from 4 pm until 6 am the next morning. On Sunday, 30 November, the body will be flown to Chirasauta Business Centre for burial between 9 am and midday. The Ministry has reminded congregants and the general public that the funeral will strictly adhere to religious guidelines.
The burial has drawn widespread attention because thousands of congregants and followers are expected to gather in Chirasauta — not at the National Heroes Acre, where the government had intended to lay him to rest. The family’s firm stance represents a rare but significant rebuff of ZANU PF’s long-standing practice of hijacking high-profile funerals for political purposes.
The ruling party has historically used state-assisted funerals to project control, shape national memory, and associate itself with influential figures. In recent months, political positioning around Mwazha had become increasingly visible. Senior ZANU PF officials courted him publicly, and he was recently gifted a luxury vehicle and substantial cash by businessman and convicted fraudster Wicknell Chivayo, a known party benefactor — fuelling speculation that the ruling elite sought to leverage his massive spiritual following ahead of future political events.
Family spokesperson Dr Masimba Mwazha affirmed that the funeral would remain strictly private and religious.
“The body of the national hero will leave Harare on Saturday for Chikomba District, where everyone will be gathered. The body will depart for Chirasauta on Sunday for burial at a private function,” he said.
President Mnangagwa praised Mwazha’s influence in African Independent Churches, while ZANU PF National Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri — accompanied by Minister of State for National Security Lovemore Matuke — visited the Hatfield home to deliver the President’s condolence message.
“Archbishop Mwazha played an important role during the liberation struggle and post-independence in promoting peace and Christianity,” Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
Born on 25 October 1918 at Holy Cross Mission in Chirumanzu, Mwazha rose to become one of the most influential leaders of African Independent Churches, guided by accounts of divine encounters and a life dedicated to spiritual renewal.
His burial outside the National Heroes Acre stands as a firm assertion of family and church autonomy — a quiet yet powerful rejection of the ruling party’s attempt to turn the passing of a spiritual icon into a political showcase.