The Harvest House Gweru Church in Zimbabwe suffered a major setback after it lost its pastor Tani Tataru who allegedly committed suicide early this week.
Tuturu, 44, was found hanging from the church's roof truss at around 4 p.m. on Monday by a member of the congregation who went to the church to pray.
He reportedly took his own life because of an alleged $15,000 debt, according to All Africa.
Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko said they are still conducting an investigation on whether the pastor's death was indeed a suicide. "I can confirm that we are investigating a sudden death case where a male adult Tani Tuturu was found dead hanging from a roof truss," he said. "We are not yet privy to the circumstances surrounding his death hence investigations are underway," Goko said.
"We would like to appeal to members of the public to engage other initiatives and interventions whenever they face personal problems instead of taking their lives," Goko commented.
Meanwhile, Tuturu's elder brother Reverend Chemai Tuturu said he is not aware of the circumstances that led to his brother's death.
"I was in Harare when my brother committed suicide. I cannot say much about the whole incident because as a family we are all shocked with my brother's untimely death. I am yet to be furnished with full details on how he committed suicide," he said.
A church member, who preferred to remain anonymous, said Tuturu's death might have something to do with him allegedly failing to raise at least $15,000 to keep the church afloat and pay for rentals and other services.
The situation only got worse for Tuturu after someone from his former congregation, who became a pastor himself, allegedly managed to raise a whopping $100,000 during a conference. Another pastor also allegedly managed to raise around $80,000 in church contributions.
