In a startling revelation, a pastor from the End Time Messages Church in Chiredzi has been ordered to pay child support after DNA tests confirmed he fathered two children with a woman whose wedding he had officiated.
The marriage between Eunice Mururi and Farai Hatirarami ended when it was confirmed that Hatirarami was not the biological father of the two children, aged 8 and 4, whom he had believed to be his. Mururi had taken Pastor Vhetu to court in Chiredzi, seeking US$700 per month in child support for her children.
In a surprising development, Pastor Vhetu admitted to fathering the children but requested a lower amount for child maintenance.
He argued that his income as a pastor primarily comes from tithes and offerings, often in the form of food hampers rather than cash. Represented by Farai Chauke of F. Chauke and Associates, Vhetu claimed he had no regular salary and could only afford 150 ZiG per child.
Aside from his pastoral duties, Vhetu revealed he is also a farmer and has eight other children to support. He informed the court that he had no bank account, only an EcoCash account, and promised to cover the children’s school uniforms and fees. However, he controversially suggested that new clothes should only be bought in June or December, stating, “only Elon Musk’s children get new clothes every month.”
Magistrate Diana Musiiwa was unsatisfied with Vhetu’s explanation, dismissing his offer as “insincere” and ordering him to pay US$175 per month for both children. The case has left the community in shock, with many stunned by the pastor’s actions and the collapse of the marriage he once officiated.
