Paul Mwazha

Ernest Paul Mamvura Mwazha (born 25 October 1918) is a Zimbabwean clergyman known as Mutumwa by his followers. He is the founder and leader of the African Apostolic Church. Mutumwa translates to "angelic messenger" in the Shona language.

Early life
Mwazha was born on October 25, 1918, at Holy Cross Mission, Chirumanzu District, near the small town of Mvuma, in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.

Mwazha was initially named Mamvura upon his birth by his mother Saramina, but was later renamed Paul, based on the Catholic tradition of naming newly baptized children by giving them a saint's name.

It is believed that he was baptized by Father Schmidt, a German Roman Catholic missionary. Soon after his birth, it is said that he became seriously ill with influenza, and he was believed to have subsequently died. This prompted his mother to rush him to baptism as well as the last rites at the altar in the church before burial. Immediately after his baptism, Paul is alleged to have sprung back to life. According to the African Apostolic Church, Father Schmidt and the gathered congregation were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they all uttered in Shona, 'Mwana amutsirwe basa, mwana amutsirwe basa, mwana amutsirwe basa', loosely translated to English as 'The child has been raised for a mission'.

Mwazha started attending Roman Catholic Catechism classes at the age of 11. After attending a Methodist school, he joined the Methodist Church and became a teacher.

Mission
In 1953, Mwazha took part in a spiritual revival led by a group of evangelists from the Methodist church. Interdenominational prayer sessions during this revival led to Mwazha forming the African Apostolic Church. His church is believed to command a following of over 7 million congregants. The African Apostolic Church has a dress code and The Herald notes that he has maintained a modest personal life; for almost 56 years, he has not trimmed his beard, a vow he took when he founded the church.

He is often called NHUME or Mutumwa by the devotees of the African Apostolic Church, meaning God's messenger, as it is believed that Paul Mwazha appears prominently in their dreams fighting their battles spiritually and that he has performed miracles that have changed their lives for the better. He has been consulted by elders in Zimbabwe to pray for a community that has suffered from a wave of murders.

Controversies
In 2020, members of the Church took legal action against Mwazha's plans to name his son as the next leader of the church. The High Court nullified the appointment and church representatives said they did not recognise actions taken by Bishop Alfred Mwazha in his purported capacity as head of the church.

Personal life
Paul Mwazha has lived to see a fourth generation of his family, meaning that he has great-grandchildren.

His wife, Joyce Makaonesu Mwazha, died at age 79 in April 2017 of diabetes.

Mwazha's sons are all bishops and thus part of the church's leadership.

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, paid a visit to Mwazha's homestead in Harare to congratulate him on reaching 101 years of age on October 25, 2019.