The non-political story that has grabbed the headlines recently in Zimbabwe is that of the lawsuit in which the couple of Upenyu and Blessing Mashangwa is suing UFIC leader Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa, his wife Ruth and The United Family International Church for a total of US$6.5m.
This publication sought insight into the issue and we will be bringing you accurate details of the case over the next few days.
Our Zimbabwean correspondent managed to get hold of some confidential documentation pertaining to the case and we will be glad to share those with our readers as we unpack the case and expose what the parties to the case do not want the public to hear.
Today we give you copies of the lawsuit, filed by Venturas and Samkange on behalf of the Mashangwas and we will go over the pertinent points of the said suit and we take a closer look at each and every one of the six claims.
Claim One
The couple claims that Prophet Makandiwa made a declaration of debt cancellation which caused the couple to ignore their repayments on a $500,000 loan with ZB bank which later led them into selling their house on 14 Edinburgh Road Malborough at $500,000 instead of its true value of $700,000 leaving them allegedly prejudiced of $200,000. They are claiming $700,000 from the man of the cloth in this regard.
Claim Two
The couple claims that Makandiwa represented in a Church service that one Tichaona Mawere was a lawyer who would never lose a case, which representation led the couple to engage the Mawere guy to represent them in a matter in which they were suing Mcdowells Pvt Ltd for $1,698,000.
They further claim that they discovered that Mawere was in fact a deregistered lawyer but by that time it was too late and they had lost their case against Mcdowells. They are claiming $1,698,000 from Makandiwa in this regard.
The couple is also claiming $37,000 from Makandiwa being legal fees paid to Mawere as consideration for his services in the matter.
Claim Three
The couple claims that between 2014 and 2016 they donated to various causes in the Church, an amount that totalled $1,100,000 and they are claiming the full amount back.
Claim Four
The couple claims that Makandiwa paraded them in his church as an example of Blessed people in an effort to market his church. And because of being paraded in church, the couple alleges they were prejudiced of $2m which they claim from the popular Harare-based Prophet
Claim Five
The couple claims that Makandiwa defamed them by claiming that the perfumes from their company cause cancer. They are claiming $500,000 for the alleged defamation.
Claim Six
The couple claims Makandiwa published their private issues on a Facebook page titled The truth about Emmanuel Makandiwa causing them mental anguish, embarrassment and emotional torture for which they seek $500,000 as redress.
In follow up editions we will bring you more court documents and confidential information on the Mashangwas, Makandiwa and UFIC Church as we continue to take a closer look into the lawsuit that has gripped the entire nation.
Nehanda Radio