Madzibaba takes city by storm

Zimbabwe has not been an exception and there has been an increase in the number of new churches being established with these “Men of God” taking advantage of the large numbers of “converts” to quickly establish themselves and the subsequent construction of “Kingdom” halls.
Names that quickly come to mind when this subject is thrown into discussion are prophets Emmanuel Makandiwa and Hubert Angel of Harare, the famous Prophet Ngwenya in Bulawayo and pastors TB Joshua and Chris Oyakhilome, both from Nigeria, among others.
Apart from this new breed of God’s servants who are synonymous with flashy expensive suits and preaching the gospel of prosperity, there are also traditional apostolic spiritual “prophets” commonly referred to as madzibaba.
A sharp contrast exists between these two classes of spiritual men with madzibaba often carrying their duty in white robes, barefooted, while using healing water and stones at services conducted in the open air.
The other contrast is that madzibaba are stereotypically known for their business of casting away goblins, exorcising evil spirits as well as prophesying cases of witchcraft and bad omens.
Their counterparts in flashy expensive apparel are known for preaching peace and riches that men were born to possess. This class also preaches about men being clean and smart, which is in tandem with what God desires from the people.
This sharp dissimilarity has resulted in today’s modern-day worshiper being categorised into two groups – followers of madzibaba donning their white garments while the other group which seems to command a huge following, prefers prolific outfits to suit one of their most touched verse in the holy book that “cleanliness is closeness to God!”
There is thus a bitter fight to win congregants and credibility has thus erupted between these two classes of men of God with each class taking every chance to subtly discredit the other especially when they take to the pulpit.
The war has somewhat turned into a war of identity and class with most people belonging to the upper echelons of society now identifying with the gospel of prosperity hence shunning the madzibaba type of prophets, who stereotypically are identified with lack of financial prosperity.
Chronicle caught up with Madzibaba Gnatsio, one of the prophets from the white robe class in Gweru who has taken the city by storm with his faith-healing antics.
Top-of-the-range cars are now a common feature at Madzibaba Gnatsio’s shrine of worship and he has since opened his Johanne Masowe Wechishanu shrine, commonly known in the apostolic sect circles as sowe.
Madzibaba Gnatsio is attracting multitudes at his shrine in Mkoba Village 20 with people seeking divine intervention through holy water.
People from different walks of life, class, financial standing and educational background, some from places outside the Midlands, are flocking to Madzibaba Gnatsio to receive assistance.
Top-of-the-range vehicles from the latest to some of the most expensive have been seen parked at Madzibaba Gnatsio’s shrine.
“I assist people with different ailments and those from difficult backgrounds who need assistance to get finance or anything in life,” said Madzibaba Gnatsio, who this writer had to wait for for close to two weeks after booking an interview.
Just as much as Prophet Makandiwa has become the talk of Harare and its environs, Madzibaba Gnatsio has assumed the same role in Gweru and surrounding areas despite the sharp differences in the way the two conduct their healing.
Madzibaba Gnatsio said he attends to people from all walks of life with different needs.
“I have a lot of people to attend and my work doubles almost daily as the number of people seeking assistance grows each day. I have no time to rest and a lot of people are waiting for me as I am speaking to you. I don’t have much time speaking and socialising with people. I now spend most of my time doing God’s work,” said Madzibaba Gnatsio in a tone which was tantamount to that of trying to make the interview very short.
“I work with God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. I am God’s vessel with the mission to bless other people and open their avenues for success.
“I have been doing this since I was a very young boy and my gifts continue to mature hence I have become what I am today,” he said.
Madzibaba Gnatsio claimed that he has over 12 spiritual gifts bestowed upon him by God.
“I have 12 spiritual gifts, chief among them are gifts to heal any type of ailment, cast evil spirits and create avenues for financial prosperity.
“I have a number of people that I have assisted and they can give testimony to what God, through me, has done for them. Some of these people are running thriving businesses because of what I did for them,” he said.
Madzibaba Gnatsio added that through his work, he has managed to open over 36 shrines around the country, a sign that his fame is spreading far and wide.
The man of God also said he has established shrines in neighbouring Botswana, Malawi and Mozambique.
“I use stones, cooking oil and water to perform my duties. Through intense prayer, anything is possible, even curing the most dreaded diseases,” said Madzibaba Gnatsio who claimed to have healed a local lady of HIV.
Madzimai Mavis, a local businesswoman, said she became a member of Madzibaba Gnatsio’s church after she got assistance from the same church.
Madzimai Mavis runs a fleet of commuter omnibuses servicing the city-Mkoba route.
She said when she started the business back in 1999 with just two vehicles, the enterprise was not thriving and her vehicles could not bring enough money to sustain her and her family, let alone allow the business to expand.
“My employees would always tell me that members of the public shunned our vehicles. Even when they boarded my staff would always bump into traffic police officers who would make them pay huge amounts for various traffic offences,” she said.
Madzimai Mavis said when she went to Madzibaba Gnatsio’s shrine after being invited by a friend, she was told of her problem and concerns before she even opened up to the prophet.
“Madzibaba went on to narrate all my problems before he prayed for me and gave me holy water. I am a happy woman and will continue to be a member of the church,” said Madzimai Mavis who now owns a fleet of eight commuter omnibuses and two haulage trucks.
With the number of people flocking to the shrine, Madzibaba Gnatsio has since recruited a group of men and women to work with. These include Madzimai Wingrow, Madzimai Future, Madzimai Abiness, Madzimai Phyllis, Madzimai Sarah, Madzibaba Moses and Madzibaba Daniel.
Whether or not the man of the cloth will continue performing miracles in the city and for how long remains to be seen.