adminRay Bande and Mercy Ngwebvu
A bumper crowd filled Sakubva Stadium to the rafters last Thursday and Friday when Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries’ Walter Magaya came to Mutare for a two-day crusade that has left tongues wagging in the eastern border city.
Rarely has the Mutare sports facility been that full and the crowd was reminiscent of some epic events such as the 2006 Mzee Bira, the 1998 Jamaican reggae group Misty ‘n’ Roots show or the 2012 21st Movement celebrations, held at the same venue.
However, it is the PHD founder’s healing sessions, conducted during his two-day crusade that have drawn different reactions from members of the public.
Some are speaking of a true man of God who came to deliver the spiritually afflicted but others are regretting having left their crutches and wheelchairs because they relapsed a few days after purportedly being healed.
An elderly woman who testified to have been healed at Sakubva Stadium, described Magaya as a real man of God who was sent by the Almighty to free the afflicted.
The woman, who identified herself as Gogo Catherine, said the self-proclaimed prophet is powerful because she was healed before the ‘‘man of God’’ even came to the stadium.
Said Gogo Catherine: “I suffered a stroke in 2009 and since then I never managed to walk again. In fact, I was just a cabbage and had to be carried around by my daughter and the other people I stayed with. I eventually got better and started using a walker but moving around remained a mammoth task.
“However, when I heard that Magaya was coming into town, I knew I would receive my healing because I have been closely following his channel and had the faith that I would be healed. I went to the stadium on Thursday at around 10am even though the service was starting at 5pm. I was healed at around 11am and at that time, Magaya was not even there. That shows me that he is a true man of God.”
Describing how she felt when she received her healing, Gogo Catherine said she felt uncontrollable heat all over her body and constantly asked for water to quench herself up.
“The moment I was healed I felt heat that I still cannot describe. It was so intense! I kept asking the people around me to pour water all over me to at least quench that heat. For a moment they told me I passed out, after which I then woke up and realised that I had been healed, completely.
“Since then I have been fine and I no longer need help to move around. I even left the walker which I used to depend on at the stadium because I did not need it anymore,” she continued.
Asked to comment about the people who think that Magaya is fake, she only said that those who do not believe will never understand spiritual things.
However, some have a different tale to tell.
In fact, Prophet Magaya’s so-called healing sessions, to some, are nothing more than an act of magic and reminiscent of disgraced Mathias and Mildred.
A neighbour of Lucky Mutenda of Chigodora confirmed that his neighbour relapsed a few days after being ‘‘healed’’.
Although he declined to be mentioned by name for fear of the unknown, he said 33-year-old Mutenda was ‘‘healed’’ before the crowd and left his walking aids only to suffer more pain a few days later.
“This guy (Mutenda) stole some money from a lady who then cast a spell on him that left him unable to walk. His legs were sore and went through a lot of pain. So when Magaya came to Mutare he went to Sakubva stadium and was lucky to be among those who accessed the chance to be healed.
“However, when he went back to Chigodora the situation turned from bad to worse. Pain worsened after about two days of being ‘healed’. I will try to bring him to your newsroom the next time I go back,” he said.
In an interview on the sidelines of the crusade, Bob Mutendadzamera of Chikanga was not happy that most of those purportedly being healed seemed to be part of the contingent that came from Harare.
“It is surprising that we have about 12 buses filled with people from Harare and it appears the same people are being healed here in Mutare. I am now suspecting that these things are being stage-managed. We have quite a lot of disabled people here in Mutare,” he said.
Be that as it may, PHD Ministries must have made a killing out of the sales of discs and armbands. Each disc was going for $10 and one would be given anointing oil after buying a disc.
One had to part with $5 for an armband.
Media personnel and other individuals were strictly barred from taking pictures during the event and one had to do it clandestinely to succeed.
Online Reporter