Pastor
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (Elcin) pastor and former Swapo local authority councillor at Ruacana, Reverend Hendrick Shuudeni - who was accused of allegedly having sex with a young man in exchange for a job that he never delivered - has been fired.
Shuudeni’s fall from grace started in May this year when his 24-year-old accuser, Jeremiah Mushunina, spilled the beans on the affair that started in 2022 and transcended into 2023 in exchange for a job in the Namibian Police. After sleeping with each other twice, the job was never delivered. This angered Mushunina, prompting him to go public with the allegations.
Shuudeni denied sleeping with Mushunina, despite a string of messages in which he declared his ‘love’ for his alleged sex pet.
“Me loves you a lot son, please...” reads one of those messages, accompanied by further evidence that he had been sending Mushunina money, as the latter threatened to expose the escapade.
Evidence obtained by Namibian Sun shows that Shuudeni paid his accuser money on various occasions, totalling nearly N$4 000, in a desperate bid to buy the unemployed man’s silence.
According to Mushunina, Shuudeni – of the Oshilemba Elcin Parish - cajoled him into the sexual acts by name-dropping police chief Joseph Shikongo, whom he said was a close associate.
Cast in stone
The church recently resolved to dismiss Shuudeni from his job as a pastor, a decision informed by its constitution.
Section 86 of the Elcin constitution, which deals with the conduct of its clergymen, talks about devaluing the holiness of the job of a pastor and how one should carry themselves in line of that sacred duty.
The dismissal was confirmed by Gideon Niitenge, the leader of Elcin western diocese, who also sat in on part of the disciplinary hearing for Shuudeni.
He told Namibian Sun that the church rules and regulations are cast in stone and cannot be changed. The church’s decision is final, he added.
Shuudeni was suspended in Jun pending investigations, which have now been completed.
Shuudeni and Mushunina were on collision course again in November, after the disgraced preacher allegedly visited his lover at Onhuno in the Ohangwena Region. Demanding full payment for the alleged abuse, Mushunina allegedly grabbed Shuudeni’s phone and vowed not to return it until the man of the cloth paid his dues.
Shuudeni then opened a police case, leading to his alleged lover's arrest. Mushunina was released recently on bail of N$700.
Shuudeni’s fall from grace started in May this year when his 24-year-old accuser, Jeremiah Mushunina, spilled the beans on the affair that started in 2022 and transcended into 2023 in exchange for a job in the Namibian Police. After sleeping with each other twice, the job was never delivered. This angered Mushunina, prompting him to go public with the allegations.
Shuudeni denied sleeping with Mushunina, despite a string of messages in which he declared his ‘love’ for his alleged sex pet.
“Me loves you a lot son, please...” reads one of those messages, accompanied by further evidence that he had been sending Mushunina money, as the latter threatened to expose the escapade.
Evidence obtained by Namibian Sun shows that Shuudeni paid his accuser money on various occasions, totalling nearly N$4 000, in a desperate bid to buy the unemployed man’s silence.
According to Mushunina, Shuudeni – of the Oshilemba Elcin Parish - cajoled him into the sexual acts by name-dropping police chief Joseph Shikongo, whom he said was a close associate.
Cast in stone
The church recently resolved to dismiss Shuudeni from his job as a pastor, a decision informed by its constitution.
Section 86 of the Elcin constitution, which deals with the conduct of its clergymen, talks about devaluing the holiness of the job of a pastor and how one should carry themselves in line of that sacred duty.
The dismissal was confirmed by Gideon Niitenge, the leader of Elcin western diocese, who also sat in on part of the disciplinary hearing for Shuudeni.
He told Namibian Sun that the church rules and regulations are cast in stone and cannot be changed. The church’s decision is final, he added.
Shuudeni was suspended in Jun pending investigations, which have now been completed.
Shuudeni and Mushunina were on collision course again in November, after the disgraced preacher allegedly visited his lover at Onhuno in the Ohangwena Region. Demanding full payment for the alleged abuse, Mushunina allegedly grabbed Shuudeni’s phone and vowed not to return it until the man of the cloth paid his dues.
Shuudeni then opened a police case, leading to his alleged lover's arrest. Mushunina was released recently on bail of N$700.
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