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By A Correspondent – A controversial figure known for his strong alignment with ZANU‑PF, self-styled pastor and party apologist Obadiah Musindo has publicly defended President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inner circle, including those labelled by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga as “Zvigananda”. Musindo dismissed critics of these figures as “jealous of successful people” and urged Zimbabweans to “respect those whom God has blessed”. Speaking at a pastors’ conference in Chinhoyi this week, Musindo declared: “There is nothing wrong with success … those you call Zvigananda are blessed people who are using their wisdom to prosper. We must not demonise them because of envy.” His comments drew sharp criticism from citizens who accused him of glorifying corruption and shielding politically connected business elites. One Chinhoyi resident who attended the event responded: “How can a pastor defend looting and call it a blessing? People are hungry because of these so-called blessed businessmen.”Political biography book Another added: “If these men are truly patriotic, let them show us their tax records and how many jobs they’ve created without government handouts.” Musindo’s remarks come amid mounting public anger over corruption and inequality. Civil society groups condemned the cleric’s words as “dangerously tone-deaf”. According to one activist with the Zimbabwe Anti‑Corruption Forum: “Religious leaders should be standing with the poor, not with looters … To call those accused of corruption visionaries is to normalise theft.” Musindo has a history of serious allegations that have drawn into question his moral authority. He was charged in 2006 with five counts of raping his 22-year-old domestic servant, after accusations that he had assaulted her multiple times and threatened her if she reported him. A magistrate ruled there was a prima facie case against him. More recent reports allege he has locked up vulnerable girls in a Harare hotel and used political connections to intimidate them from reporting. Despite these serious accusations, Musindo has continued to appear at state-linked events and publicly support ZANU-PF, raising concerns that politically connected figures remain accountable to little more than the party line. Critics say that when a pastor known to face such allegations turns to defending elites, it symbolically erodes the moral standing of the church and weakens the country’s ethics
