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Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe president Amon Madawo has publicly declared his allegiance to the ruling ZANU PF party, raising fresh questions over the political neutrality of church leaders. Madawo made the remarks on Thursday during celebrations marking the completion of the AFM Vineyard Assembly church building in Norton, where he praised President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his financial support towards the project. Construction of the church began in 2009 but reportedly stalled before Mnangagwa intervened to support the project. According to church leader Madawo, Mnangagwa donated US$300,400, as well as a bus and a top-of-the-range vehicle, to help complete the development. In June, the President also presented Madawo with a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series ZX as a personal gift. The donation follows another US$1 million donation to the church's youth department made in April by ZANU PF Central Committee member, businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Speaking after the celebrations, Madawo said he was a member of the ruling party and criticised those opposed to ZANU PF. "I'm a ZANU PF member. If you're not a ZANU PF then what are you? Musi uno ndaiparidza kune imwe church ndikati munyika muno kana ukati pasi na ED unenge uchiti pamberi nani? "Kana uchiti pasi ne ZANU PF ukuti pamberi nani? This country is in the hands of ZANU PF and I am a ZANU PF (member)," said Madawo. Madawo leads one of the two main AFM factions following a split in the church that emerged from a leadership dispute with Cossam Chiyangwa, who heads a rival faction. Madawo further prayed for Mnangagwa's continued tenure in office. "As AFM, we are very grateful to His Excellency for the heart that he has.... We are very grateful for his support of the church. May God keep him in office and fulfil his vision and aspirations," he said. The remarks come weeks after Mnangagwa assented to the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, which extended his term of office from 2028 to 2030. While the constitutional amendment has attracted criticism from opposition parties, constitutional lawyers and civil society groups, some ZANU PF officials and supporters have already begun calling for Mnangagwa's tenure to be extended beyond 2030, despite the Constitution's two-term presidential limit. Read the original article on New Zimbabwe . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.