Chronicle Editor
Stanford Chiwanga, Online News Editor
HE has been ridiculed, hated, praised and adored in equal measure by a nation divided on whether he is a true prophet of God or a charlatan, but one fact that remains is that he is an enigma that many want to understand.
Madzibaba Mutumwa born Emmanuel Mutumwa Gwandida, is a man who needs no introduction.
He was born in Shurugwi and became a prophet at the tender age of seven while doing Grade Two at Railway Block Primary School in Shurugwi town where he told his teacher, a then pregnant Mrs Gwarada, that she would give birth to twins.
Mrs Gwarada gave a testimony of Mutumwa’s prophesy at the school.
And that was the start of Emmanuel Mutumwa Gwandida’s life as a diviner.
Today Madzibaba Mutumwa is one of Zimbabwe’s most famous seers who leverages his prophetic vision and instinct to serve others in areas extending beyond the pulpit. He believes that the only way to lead people to their destiny is to meet them where they are in life.
It is this approach that has seen Prophet Mutumwa reaching out to thousands of people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
He sees himself as an oracle of the poor as he has helped many escape poverty through prayers that have opened doors to employment, promotion and businesses.
Some of the most successful businesspeople in Zimbabwe owe their success to Prophet Mutumwa as he either prayed for them to establish their businesses or helped to revive their struggling businesses.
Prophet Mutumwa has also preached to politicians and he says his ministry has reached many corners of the country assisted by the media.
He said as he grew up, he knew he was going to be a prophet, but just how did he know this?
“My parents are from the Johane Masowe church and I was born in the church.
My parents told me that a prophet told them while I was still in my mother’s womb, that I was going to be a prophet.
That is why they named me Emmanuel Mutumwa,” said Prophet Mutumwa.
Madzibaba Mutumwa grew up in a family where it was a tradition to belong to an apostolic sect.
At an early age, he was described as forceful, opinionated and determined; traits that some still ascribe to the adult Mutumwa.
He was also nicknamed “prophet” due to his early habit of prophesying to everyone in his life.
However, the name Mutumwa, which many think is a nickname, is the one that stuck.
He later gained the title “prophet” when he came to Bulawayo and set up Johane Masowe Chishanu Selborne Park.
“I started prophesying when I was in Grade Two. I remember I was seven years old and I had a vision about my teacher and I told her that she was going to give birth to twins and later on she came to me and told me that my prophesy had come true.
From then on, people were avoiding me because I was prophesying about them and revealing their secrets.
I prayed for a blind vendor while still at primary school and she regained her sight.
There was once an old man who was using a dismembered hand of a child to do black magic and I exposed and delivered him from the demon that was possessing him.
People started calling me a Satanist,” said the 30-year-old prophet.
The grown up Mutumwa is not only a cleric, he is a businessman in his own right.
He runs nine grocery shops but says he did not start his businesses by emptying the church’s coffers.
He helped a UK-based businessman overcome a problem that had haunted him for years and in return the entrepreneur gave him US$36 000 which he used to start a business.
“I have nine shops at the moment and I have 16 stands. I intend to open restaurants and hardware shops in the near future.
I know some people may think that I used church money or that I hoodwinked innocent souls.
People come to thank me after I have helped them. I don’t ask or demand money and gifts from the people I help.
Far from it, I was given US$36 000 by a man I helped and I used that money to start my business. My first shop was in Shangani.
“All the cars that I have, I bought them using my own money.
The cars I have were not gifts from anyone.
I did not get them from the church and from anyone.
I have two houses, one in Burnside and another in Gweru. Both properties were acquired through hard work and sweat,” he said.
But what does he say to people who say he is a fake prophet?
“People who say I am a fake prophet do so from a distance.
They should come to Selbourne Park to my shrine and see miracles.
Some say we do fake miracles; people must not be told; they should come and see for themselves.
Rumours and lies will not slow me down.
“I am a man of God, sent to deliver Zimbabwe from sin, disease and poverty.
But I am not surprised by such attacks; after all a prophet is not accepted in his hometown,” said Prophet Mutumwa.
He also revealed that he is a champion of the Girl Child and believes girls must be afforded the same opportunities as boys.
Most apostolic sects have doctrines that don’t protect the Girl Child, with some encouraging early marriages among its members.
This has seen girls dropping out of school and some dying while giving birth.
“There are quite a number of things that I disagree with as a member of the apostolic sect, for example, denying girls the opportunity to go to school.
I believe girls and boys should be given equal opportunities.
“I do not support early marriages because they affect mostly girls.
Let the girl go to school, graduate and get a job.
Do not deny her that right.
I strongly want to encourage parents and children to prioritise education,” said Prophet Mutumwa.
Online Reporter