HARARE, Zimbabwe — Prominent lawyer Thabani Mpofu has accused leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zimbabwe of betraying the church’s spiritual mission after ZANU PF politician and cabinet minister Anselem Sanyatwe told congregants during a Sabbath service that the ruling party would govern “until donkeys grow horns” — a remark widely viewed as a jab at the opposition.
The comments were made during a Sabbath service on June 14 in Nyanga, held under the “Operation Macedonia” evangelical campaign. Mpofu, a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said the incident has “gravely challenged his faith.”
In a letter, addressed to the East Zimbabwe Conference (EZC) and Zimbabwe East Union Conference (ZEUC), and copied to General Conference President Ted Wilson, Mpofu—through law firm Mtetwa & Nyambirai—expressed outrage that Sanyatwe was given access to the pulpit without prior authorization.
“During a church service, Mr. Kudakwashe Tagwirei invited ZANU PF politician Mr. Sanyatwe to the SDA pulpit without prior approval from ZEUC President Mr. Musara or EZC President Mr. Timuri, who were in attendance,” the letter reads. “Once on the pulpit, Mr. Sanyatwe made various partisan political declarations … that ZANU PF was to govern the country indefinitely, metaphorically suggesting that its rule would last until an event as improbable as donkeys growing horns.”
The letter, signed by senior lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, further states that Sanyatwe repeated political claims he had made in the past, and mocked Mpofu’s prior objections by likening them to “barking.”
The lawyer, who has represented former CCC leader Nelson Chamisa and his party on poll related challenges before, wrote that the conduct amounted to “desecration of the SDA pulpit,” particularly on the holy Sabbath. “It 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,” the letter reads.
Quoting church policies, Mpofu said the act violated the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) Working Policy, the SDA Church Manual, and the constitutions of both ZEUC and EZC. He emphasized that church platforms should not be used for promoting “disputed points” or political interests.
“Messrs. Musara and Timuri had no qualms with donating the SDA pulpit to personnel who wanted to further partisan political interests,” he said. “They lent their moral authority to Tagwirei, who was prepared to abuse the name of the church and its processes for personal political gain.”
Mpofu added that Sanyatwe was neither invited with proper clearance nor speaking in an official government capacity, and therefore had no grounds to address the congregation.
Mpofu is demanding a formal apology from both church presidents to himself and the wider SDA constituency, a reaffirmation of pulpit policy, and a public commitment to avoid future political interference in church affairs. He also called for the two leaders to “show cause why they should remain in office.”
Failure to comply, he warned, would result in legal action against both church entities and the individuals involved, with the potential involvement of higher SDA authorities, including the General Conference.
“Our client is concerned that without condemnation or any acknowledgement that a wrong was done, such conduct will be repeated to the point of becoming the norm,” the letter states.
The SDA Church leadership has not yet issued a public response. This is not the first time Mpofu has publicly clashed with Sanyatwe — now serving as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sport. Last year, when Sanyatwe was still commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, he made headlines for declaring the army’s allegiance to ZANU PF.
At the time, Mpofu wrote to Sanyatwe demanding a full retraction of what he described as an unconstitutional vow that “ZANU PF will rule forever” and that the military would use force to ensure voters supported the ruling party.
