Johane Masowe’s Exhumation Put On Hold

The Gospel of God Church International has won a High Court order to suspend the planned exhumation of Peter Jack Masedza, also known as Johane Masowe, the church’s founder.

Johane Masowe was buried in 1973 at Gandanzara, a site that has since become the church’s main shrine and a key pilgrimage destination.

The church’s lawyers, Venturas and Samukange, filed an urgent application challenging the Government’s approval of the exhumation, which had been granted to Masedza’s sons, Magaga and Rueben, who want to move their father’s remains to a more accessible location.

The church argues that the burial site is sacred to its followers worldwide and that the exhumation was approved without giving it a chance to be heard.

The application names senior Government officials and Masedza’s sons as respondents. It seeks to have the decision overturned on the grounds of unlawfulness and irrationality.

The sons’ lawyers, Mushangwe and Company, counter that the exhumation was authorised after careful consideration of all the facts, including previous court rulings and the church’s opposition, and they have asked the court to dismiss the church’s challenge with full costs. The case is set for a hearing on Tuesday.

More: The Herald

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