Pastor Haisa

Children

Pastor Lawrence Haisa has a daughter with Rugare Gondo.^[2] He also has a son named Munyaradzi with Agnes Chadya who is former wife Rugare Gondo's niece.

Alleged Extramarital Affair & Divorce

Haisa was married to Rugare Gondo for two years before they divorced. In 2001, a publication wrote that Haisa threw out his wife, Rugare, and their daughter who was aged one at the time, from their matrimonial home. Haisa allegedly threw Rugare out in 2000.

Rugare said Pastor Haisa threw her out after she challenged him over an alleged love affair with another church member and musician. Rugare Gondo was quoted as having said:

"Rumour was circulating that Lawrence was having an affair with another church member, under the guise of compiling an album together. He spent most of his time with her and one day I found them in my house cuddling and looking very cosy. When I asked him what was happening, he became very hostile and told me to leave or he would beat me up."

She said she took up the matter with the church’s authorities and Haisa was subsequently defrocked.

When contacted for comment, Haisa denied he threw out his family and said Rugare left of her own will. He however admitted he was under disciplinary action. He said:

"I did not throw her out, but she packed her bags and left for Zvishavane, her rural home, without my consent or knowledge. She only came back after three months and I told her that I could not accept her back into my house after she had been away for such a long time. What did you expect me to do?"

Before she left, Haisa said Gondo withdrew $3 000 from his bank account. Haisa said he told her to come with her relatives so that they could discuss the matter, but she never did.

Asked whether he was having an extramarital affair, Haisa said they were working on an album together.

Haisa denied he was defrocked saying that it was never communicated to him in writing.

He said he had written to Zaoga for clarification but none of the letters got a response. Lawrence Haisa said he was a victim of church politics and even blamed ZAOGA Bishop Parterson Ngorima for eyeing his wife. He said:

"I was never defrocked from Zaoga, but it was the media that defrocked me. Being a pastor is a calling from God. No one has got the power to defrock a man of God who has been ordained to do God’s work. When hype from the media reached alarming levels on the so-called defrocking, I wrote to Zaoga, requesting a dismissal letter, I never got anything. I am yet to receive communication to that effect. The defrocking issue was meant to create the media hype. I was just a victim of church politics and instead of the church playing a pivotal role of moulding my family, they shamelessly destroyed it. Of course, I will forever be grateful for Baba (Ezekiel) Guti’s leadership."

^[3][1]

Maintenance

In 2013, Gondo approached the Masvingo Magistrates’ Court seeking maintenance, but magistrate Jabulani Mzinyathi advised her to transfer the matter from the Zvishavane Civil Court where the matter was first heard to Masvingo.

In her application, Gondo was demanding US$500 for the child. Gondo said Pastor Haisa was capable of paying the amount from proceeds of his music and revealed that he also owned a music recording company.

The matter was once heard in 2001 at the Zvishavane Magistrates’ Court and Mzinyathi advised Gondo to first transfer the case to Masvingo for it to be deliberated on.^[2]

Gondo wanted Lawrence Haisa to also contribute $600 as boarding fees per term at Gokomere Mission and also cater for part of the child’s pocket money and other needs. Gondo who remarried said she could not afford to look after their child alone from her salary as a teacher. She claimed Haisa had abandoned their child and she had paid fees by herself over the years.^[4]

Calling

Haisa joined the village Zaoga church. This saw him visiting and deciding to stay at a church in Masvingo. This was when he realised his singing talent which opened up his horizons.

He went to Harare and trained as a pastor at AMFCC Bible School. Combining missionary work and music, Pastor Haisa became the centre both within the church and outside when his music made it big.^[1]

Legal Issues

Assault

Lawrence Haisa was convicted of assaulting his wife after she found him in bed with another woman.^[3] In his 2004 wife-battering case, Magistrate Omega Mugumbate had to throw Haisa into the cells for a night after he had interfered with witnesses.^[1]

Record and Tape Promotions (RTP)

Haisa took his record company, the now-defunct Record and Tape Promotions (RTP) over his musical rights.

Lawrence Haisa had successfully taken the company to court and won the case and was expecting a huge pay-out. It is not clear what happened at the last minute, the case was thrown out. The fight against RTP had started way back in 2003 when Haisa walked out of the deal citing poor royalties. It dragged on until around 2007.^[1]

Discography

By November 2020, Pastor Haisa had released 11 albums.^[5]

Albums

• Greatest Hits
• Pasi Rino (2022)
• Mazuva (2020)
• MaChurch (2018)
• Nguva Ikakwana
• Burukai Mwari
• Ndichamunamata
• Handirambe
• Moyo Wakanaka
• Dzidziso
• Kutenda

References