Joshua Maponga (Born: July 18, 1973, Age: 50 years old) is a renowned Zimbabwean born preacher, philosopher, public speaker, author, writer, musician, and entrepreneur.
He has traveled widely and has quite a number of followers who believe in his philosophies. Maponga is famous for many reasons; he is a Seventh Day Adventist Church ordained bishop, motivational speaker and does his level best for community development. However, he is most popular as a religious leader.
Joshua Maponga Profile Summary
- Name: Joshua Marara Maponga
- Age: 50 years old
- Date of Birth: July 18, 1973
- Nationality: Zimbabwean
- Gender: Male
- Education: Andrews University, Michigan, United States
- Occupation: Author, Philosopher, Pastor, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur
- Parents: Lazarus Maponga and Sibanda Maponga
- Marital Status: Married
- Spouse: Matlali Solfafa Maponga
Joshua Maponga Was Born In Zimbabwe
Joshua Marara Maponga III was born in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe, in 1973. He is a Zimbabwean. The 50-year-old moved to South Africa in his early days and later relocated to Swaziland before eventually traveling to the United Kingdom in 1998. The motivational speaker is the oldest child of Lazarus and Sibanda Maponga and has four siblings.
Maponga grew up with his parents and from a young age showed a good sign of being independent, and as such was able to follow his passion and travel to places where he could fulfill his dreams. His quest for knowledge saw him travel between South Africa, Swaziland, and the United Kingdom before finally returning to South Africa. He has two daughters from his first marriage. Not much is known to the public regarding his marriage and family.
He Obtained His First Degree In The United States
Joshua Maponga’s educational journey began at Solusi Adventist Secondary School where he had his high school education before proceeding to Solusi University. His love for knowledge saw him move to the US for further studies. While in the US, he obtained a Bachelors’s degree in Philosophy and Personal Ministries with a focus on Theology from Andrews University in Michigan, USA.
Maponga’s mind was originally set on engineering and although he did not eventually follow that path, he took part in the Construction Entrepreneurial Training (CET) which is an initiative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that helps to set up local talents as consultants for emerging manufacturers and consultants.
Joshua Maponga Has A Multi-faceted Career
Joshua Maponga is a successful philosopher, religious leader, author, and motivational speaker. His most popular as a religious leader as he followed after his father who was a pastor. His father ventured into pastoral work after his release from prison for his involvement in politics. This led him to ensure that young Maponga stayed out of politics and follow him in his service to the church.
Maponga has been a pastor in the Seven Days Adventist Church for so many years and his passion for the gospel endeared him to the congregation. He enjoyed wide followership and as time passed by his impactful ministering caught the attention of senior church ministers and he was ordained a Bishop of the Pentecostal and Evangelical community. He continued to make an impact within the church and created his own approach to preaching the gospel.
He is committed to community development and has partnered with different organizations to make a change where he can. Some of these organizations include Milpark College, SALGA, SAPS, SAPO, PRASA, and Absa World Vision. He has also worked with Entrepreneurial Development of Southern Africa, Global Management Center United Kingdom, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The religious leader is the founder of the institute Farmers of Thought and has two other non-governmental organizations named Zimbabwe Indigenous Movement (ZIM) and Africa Indigenous Movement (AIM). Besides community development and church work, Maponga is an expert public speaker and has used this platform to preach his philosophies. This earned him the nickname ‘creative powerhouse’.
Here Are Some Popular Books Written by Joshua Maponga
Joshua Maponga has built a career as an author. This goes to show how multitalented he is. His writings reflect his ideas and thoughts and serve to motivate those who look up to him as their role model. Here are his popular publications:
- Going Places In The Spirit
- So You Want To Be The Master
- Shopping Skills
- Find Your Truth
- A Contested Ground Through Women
- Women in the Kitchen
Joshua Maponga Appeared In Court In 2018 For Homophobic Preachings
Joshua Maponga, despite being a famous religious leader, has had some controversies surrounding his career on so many levels. He appeared in the Port Elizabeth Equality Court for alleged homophobic statements which he made during a church service in 2018 at KwaMagxaki. The church publicly distanced herself from his comments and made it clear that his comments were his personal opinions and not the teachings of the church.
The veteran preacher apologized to Zolani Simayi, the church member who felt offended and took up the case against the preacher. His apology did not go well with many as he failed to withdraw the statement.
The suspension of Maponga from the Seventh Day Adventist church was announced in a letter signed by Southern Africa Evangelism, Personal Ministries, and Nurture and Retention Director, Michael Rugube Ngwaru. He was henceforth banned from officiating any church service or event of the church in Southern and Indian-Ocean regions. This action was taken following what was considered controversial preaching by the church.
He Has Also Been Mentioned In A Cheating Scandal
Another controversy involving Joshua Maponga arose in April 2021, when a certain 29-year-old woman from Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal, broke the news of a supposed intimate relationship with the bishop to the Daily Sun. The woman claimed she had fallen pregnant for Maponga but unfortunately miscarried the pregnancy in February 2021. She further claimed that the Bishop was planning to conduct a traditional ritual for their dead unborn child. The news of this supposed illicit romance went viral and the preacher had to react to the claims.
All the claims made by this unnamed woman were dismissed by Maponga who claimed that he was being blackmailed. His side of the story was that he was approached by the said woman for spiritual guidance but she became too demanding along the way. He claimed that he helped support her T-shirt business but that was not enough for her.
The Bishop said she began sending him long messages for divinations and money to support her spiritual calling and that was the point at which he made it clear to her that he was an ordained pastor, not a sangoma, and could not do any more to help her after trying to get her sorted using his platform on Sankofa TV.