MARTIN MAWAYA
HARARE–Reformed Church in Zimbabwe newly elected deputy moderator, Reverend Simbarashe Munamati has earned a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Arts and Humanities from the University of Zimbabwe, sharpening his knowledge on the role of women in the church and community development.
Rev. Munamati, who hails from Machivenyika Village under Chief Bota in Zaka, began his doctoral studies in 2018 exploring the extent to which churches are promoting women’s capabilities in the context of religion, gender and development.
He was one of the 16 graduands who graduated with PhDs out of the 6 778 people who were capped by President Mnangagwa on the day.
“The efficacy of women as vehicles for effective community development is still debatable,” Munamati said.
“But my research found that women-initiated community development is a recent phenomenon, and women are effective community development initiators.”
Munamati discovered that as women carry out their community development initiatives, they theologize biblical texts, coming up with a unique theology of development that is action-oriented, transformational, home-grown, inclusive and character-oriented.
This aligns with the tenets of African women’s theologies that promote women’s upliftment.
Munamati’s thesis, titled “Women as Agents of Community Development: A Case Study of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe,” will be published to benefit the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) and other churches, academics, and policymakers in the field.
The newly minted Ph.D. holder who is also a regular blood donor with over 50 units to his name also serves on various platforms in the church and community.
He was recently elected as the Vice Moderator of the church for the 2024-2026 period.
Munamati is also the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Theology, Culture and Heritage Studies at the Reformed Church University, and the Principal of Murray Theological College, the RCZ’s institution for training ministers of the Word and Sacraments since 1925.
He is married to Percy, a teacher at Henry Murray School for the Deaf, and they have one son, Immanuel, who is currently in lower sixth grade at one of RCZ’s flagship schools Chibi High.
