Java On The Run As Police Press Treason Charges 

The Zimbabwe Republic Police have prepared a four-count criminal list, charging prominent cleric Apostle Batsirai Java with publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the State, bigotry, undermining the authority of the President and treason.

The treason charge arises from allegedly urging the military to overthrow President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Java, the elder brother of flamboyant preacher prophet Passion Java, has reportedly been in hiding for several weeks after police raided his Mt Pleasant home and the headquarters of his Tabernacles of Grace Church in Harare.

Information obtained by this publication indicates that the matter is being handled by the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Law and Order section under Chief Superintendent Runganga.

The docket, titled State versus Batsirai Java, lists the apostle’s residential address as 11 Cynthia Road, Mt Pleasant, and sets out the four charges in apparent preparation to charge the cleric.

The latest developments follow reports that Law and Order detectives picked up a senior aide to the Preacher, together with his secretary last Thursday, as efforts to locate the suspect intensify.

The inquiry was triggered by the circulation of an audio recording in which an unidentified speaker made a series of claims concerning Zimbabwe’s political landscape and the inner workings of the Government.

The recording in question first appeared after the famous Tagwirei wedding, where businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s son Taonanyasha John Tagwirei married his bride Poneso Tinomuda Janda.

The wedding featured high-profile political guests, international performances by Boyz II Men, and tens of millions of dollars in reported gifts.

Authorities appear to have linked Apostle Java to the recording despite his previous public statement denying that he was the speaker.

The recording spread rapidly across social media and fuelled intense political debate over its contents, prompting a police investigation.

Police subsequently raided both the apostle’s Mt Pleasant residence and the Tabernacles of Grace Church before broadening their investigation in an apparent effort to locate him.

The preparation of the docket marks a significant development in the case, signalling investigators’ intention to pursue criminal proceedings once the preacher is apprehended.

A leader from the church, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, condemned the investigation as a sustained campaign against the church.

“They raided his home, they raided the house of God, and now they are picking up people around him because they cannot find him,” they said.

“Where is the crime? We believe this is an attempt to intimidate the Church. It is a satanic agenda.”

Police are yet to publicly comment on the matter.