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Madzibaba Nzira succumbed to a heart ailment at his house at Julanifiri Santa Shrine in Chitungwiza on Sunday night.
He will be buried this afternoon at Chitungwiza Cemetery.
Family spokesperson Madzibaba Simbisoni Mhike yesterday said Ma-dzibaba Nzira’s health deteriorated over the past two weeks.
“He has not been well since he came out of prison, but we never thought it would reach this stage.
“Things began to fall apart in the past two weeks as he was having difficulties in breathing.
“We visited a lot of doctors in the country, but with no solution. We we-re about to take him out of the country when he met his fate.”
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Madzibaba Mhike said on the fateful day, Madzibaba Nzira spent the greater part of the day ministering to his church members.
Madzibaba Nzira – who was serving a 20-year jail term for rape – was released from prison in January this year on medical grounds.
He was in March 2003 slapped with a 42-year prison term after being convicted of seven counts of rape and one of indecent assault involving two women at his shrine.
However, 10 years were suspended on condition of good behaviour befo-re another 12 years were slashed by the High Court on appeal.
Church members yesterday descri-bed Madzibaba Nzira as a man of the people.
People lined up to catch a glimpse of the hearse carrying Madzibaba Nzira’s body from a funeral parlour to the shrine.
An elder in the church, Madzibaba Godfrey Magaba, described the late church leader as an honest and humble healer.
“His gap will be difficult to fill. I worked with him since the 1980s and he has been a straightforward man.
“Of course, there were some jealous people who tried to pull him back but he remained focused and even forgave them when he came out of prison such that we were worshipping with them.”
Madzibaba Nzira’s first wife, Spiwe added: “We have been robbed of a true hero and I do not know how we are going to manage without him. There are four of us and he treated us equally and there were never any squabbles in the family.”
Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairman Cde Amos Midzi said Madzibaba Nzira had contributed a lot in uniting people throughout the country.
“We are here because of his works. The party (Zanu-PF) has a history with him and the whole of the apostolic sect,” he said.
“He participated well in national events and by so doing he united people.”
Cde Midzi urged church members to carry on with his legacy.
“Now that he is gone there should be no difference as we continue working together. We have good relations that have benefited the country and they should not die,” he said.
Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Webster Shamu described Madzibaba Nzira as a “focused and principled” servant of God.
“On behalf of Zanu-PF, the Government of Zimbabwe, my family and on my own behalf, we wish to commiserate with Mbuya Susan Nzira, the Nzira family and the Johanne Masowe WeChishanu Apostolic Church on this sad loss.
“May you find consolation in the knowledge that in mourning him, we celebrate the life of a God-fearing church leader who was totally sold out to serving his community, Government and the people,” he said.
Cde Shamu, who is also Media, Information and Publicity Minister, said the spiritual leader had been born deaf and dumb but his mother did not give up.
He said she sought assistance from traditional healers and seers in an effort to have him healed.
Born in 1953 in Mhondoro, Madzibaba Nzira initiated businesses in poultry, panel beating, carpentry, gardening and encouraged a spirit of saving by pioneering the establishment of a Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe branch at the shrine.
He was also a beacon of hope for orphaned children, the sick and mentally handicapped members of society.
He also empowered many people by offering them skills training through the many projects that were operational at JulaniFiri Santa Shrine.
Madzibaba Nzira is survived by four wives and seven children.
Bongani Ndlovu