Johane Masowe’s exhumation halted

The planned exhumation of Peter Jack Masedza, founder of the Gospel of God Church International, has been halted after the church secured a High Court order to suspend the process.

Masedza, also known as Johane Masowe, was buried in 1973 at Gandanzara, a site that became the church’s main shrine and pilgrimage destination.

The church’s legal team, 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 seek to relocate their father’s remains to a more accessible site.

The church argues that the burial place holds sacred significance for its global followers and that the exhumation was authorised without giving it a chance to be heard.

The legal action lists key Government officials and the sons as respondents, calling for the decision to be overturned on grounds of unlawfulness and irrationality.

The sons’ lawyers, Mushangwe and Company, counter that the exhumation was authorised after thorough consideration of all facts, including prior court rulings and the church’s opposition, and has urged the court to dismiss the church’s challenge with full costs.

The dispute is set for a hearing tomorrow, leaving the fate of Masedza’s remains and the future of the shrine hanging in the balance. *_-Herald_*