Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A SELF-PROCLAIMED prophet who claimed to be filled with the Holy Spirit demanded money from a woman to pay off a debt he said was owed by her dead father, a man he had never met.
Tinashe Aiumando (25) from Nketa 6 pulled off a spiritual scam so brazen it left a courtroom stunned. He was convicted at the Western Communal Court and sentenced to 440 hours of community service at Nkulumane High School. Magistrate Archie Wochiwunga also ordered him to repay US$1 155 to the victim, Pride Gamure (27), through the clerk of court.
The scam was orchestrated on 14 June 2025 when Pride visited Aiumando’s shrine in Dzivarasekwa, Harare, seeking spiritual cleansing. Aiumando claimed she was under a dark cloud and needed to pray at Emganwini, Khami and finally Mhondoro to be completely freed.
Believing the prophetic performance, Pride agreed to travel with Aiumando. On 20 June they left for Mhondoro, and enroute, Aiumando called a fellow prophet named Leonard to pick them up.
But just a few kilometres into the journey, Leonard’s vehicle conveniently broke down. The men led a dramatic prayer session, after which Leonard theatrically declared he had been filled with the Holy Spirit.
What came next shocked even the most devout.
Leonard claimed that Pride’s late father, a man he had never known or met, owed him a spiritual debt of US$6 000. He warned that unless the debt was paid, disaster would strike her family.
Shaken and desperate, Pride phoned her brother who delivered US$2 800 in cash to Aiumando.
But after the fear wore off, the facts started to click.
Pride reported the matter to the police. Aiumando was arrested and US$1 645 was recovered.
In court, he pleaded guilty and admitted the so-called prophecy was a scam.
The moral of the story? Not every Holy Spirit message is divine. Some are just dollar-driven drama.
