By A Correspondent — All roads are leading to Chirasauta in Chikomba District, Mashonaland East Province, where the late African Apostolic Church founder, Archbishop Paul Mwazha, will be laid to rest tomorrow.
On Saturday, Mwazha’s body was airlifted to Guvambwa for body viewing ahead of Sunday’s burial, which will be conducted strictly according to church doctrine — a development that has sparked national discussion after his family rejected government efforts to have him interred 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 swiftly conferred national hero status on him, the family insisted on a private religious burial in line with long-held spiritual traditions.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that burial arrangements would be managed entirely by close relatives and the church, honouring the family’s position. Mwazha will therefore be laid to rest in Chirasauta, Chikomba District.
According to the funeral programme, the late cleric’s remains were collected from Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour on Friday and taken to the family home in Hatfield, where a church service was held from 7 pm to 10 pm. On Saturday, 29 November, the body was flown to Guvambwa for an overnight body viewing from 4 pm to 6 am. On Sunday, 30 November, the body will be airlifted to Chirasauta Business Centre for burial between 9 am and midday. Authorities have reminded congregants and the public that all proceedings will strictly follow religious protocols.
The burial has drawn widespread attention as thousands of congregants are expected to travel to Chirasauta — not to the National Heroes Acre, where government had proposed to bury him. The family’s firm stance marks a rare yet significant challenge to ZANU PF’s established practice of using high-profile funerals for political projection.
For decades, the ruling party has used state-assisted funerals to shape national narratives and align itself with influential figures. In recent months, political manoeuvring around Mwazha had intensified, with senior ZANU PF officials publicly courting him. He was recently presented with a luxury vehicle and cash by businessman and convicted fraudster Wicknell Chivayo, a known party benefactor, prompting speculation that the ruling elite sought to capitalise on his vast spiritual following ahead of future political events.
Family spokesperson Dr Masimba Mwazha reiterated that the funeral would remain a private religious affair.
“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 described Mwazha as an important figure in African Independent Churches, while ZANU PF National Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri — accompanied by Minister of State for National Security Lovemore Matuke — visited the Mwazha family home in Hatfield 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 devoted to spiritual renewal.
His burial outside the National Heroes Acre stands as a quiet yet powerful assertion of family and church autonomy — a clear rejection of attempts to turn the death of a spiritual icon into a political spectacle.