Paul Mwazha declared national hero

PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA has conferred national hero status on Apostle Paul Mwazha, the founder of the African Apostolic Church, who died on Thursday. Apostle Mwazha was recognised for his extraordinary contribution to the growth of indigenous Christianity and his enduring influence on millions of Zimbabweans. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Ambassador Raphael Faranisi confirmed the development last night.

“I received a call from our Minister (Kazembe Kazembe), who was in Maputo for the Zimbabwe-Mozambique Bi-National Commission, advising me that His Excellency had conferred national hero status on Apostle Mwazha,” he said. “On our part as a ministry, we then commenced the necessary processes that kick in whenever someone is declared a national hero; that include engaging the family of the deceased . Apostle Mwazha leaves behind a profound legacy as one of the pioneers of African independent churches.

He was part of an early generation of indigenous spiritual leaders — alongside Johane Marange and Johane Masowe — who established autonomous Christian movements that embraced African cultural identity and responded to local spiritual needs. Born on October 25, 1918 at Holy Cross Mission in Chirumanzu, Apostle Mwazha’s life story is interwoven with accounts of divine intervention. As a gravely ill infant, he was baptised “Paul” by a German Catholic missionary and reportedly recovered miraculously, an event his followers long regarded as prophetic.

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Over nearly seven decades, Apostle Mwazha — widely known as Mutumwa — presided over a movement whose followers worship in open spaces, often dressed in white garments symbolising purity. He trained as a teacher at Howard Institute and later served in the Methodist Church before breaking away in the late 1950s, citing a series of spiritual visions that called him to begin an independent ministry. This culminated in the founding of the African Apostolic Church, which grew into one of Zimbabwe’s largest indigenous denominations, boasting thousands of branches across Africa and millions of congregants worldwide. His evangelical work flourished during and after the colonial era, establishing him as one of the first Zimbabweans to form and lead a Zionist-influenced African church.

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