The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
EACH morning or evening neighbourhoods are filled with the noise of people singing and praying, yelling at the top of their voices in bushes, roadsides, hilltops and river banks.
Such is the life of African churches — the Zionists and Apostolic sects who conduct their services and prayer sessions at self-allocated shrines, popularly known as inhlane.
But what really happens at these shrines and who really goes there? One prophet who has taken the resort town of Victoria Falls by storm is Musawenkosi Mvundla of the New Sabbath Evangelical Apostolic Church which has branches in Tsholotsho, Jambezi, Bulawayo and Gwanda.
He told Sunday Life that people from all walks of life visit to seek divine intervention on different kinds of ailments, luck for business, to exorcise evil spirits and also solve marital problems. Mvundla is a prophet and pastor of the church’s Victoria Falls branch and the church is headquartered in Tsholotsho where founding Bishop Sibanda lives.
However, Mvundla said there seem to be a fierce underground war between church denominations and obviously Zionist and Apostolic sects feel the heat.
“We are a new church in Victoria Falls and we help a lot of people who come to us with their problems but we are looked down upon as a useless congregation that doesn’t help.
“We don’t mind as we work for God. Even Jesus was persecuted by his own people and we can’t concentrate on denigrating others. Our calling is to help people who have problems in life,” said Mvundla.
He said businesspersons, leaders and jobseekers — some from mainline and Pentecostal churches nicodemously visit prophets seeking divine intervention and luck.
“We can solve money problems, bad omen, treat diseases and solve marital problems. We have a lot of people who have visited numerous churches and hospitals without success and came to us and got delivered,” added Mvundla.
“People criticise us saying intambo zamaZion, ligajiswa ngamaZion. They just don’t want to admit that they consult prophets and go on to thank their pastors materially with goods such as cars, beds, fridges and others after we pray for them. We know people don’t want it to be known that they visit Zionists and Apostolic sects for deliverance.”
Mvundla said they believe in the power of the holy water and a thread on one’s waist, neck or waist.
“We have boosted a lot of people’s businesses and marriage. Last year there were serious divorces and we solved many such cases. This is the devil at work and we have to fight together,” said Mvundla.
He said while respective churches use different materials to conduct their sessions: “We attach value and power to threads (intambo) which we tie on one’s waist, neck or wrist and holy water.”
He said Zionists and Apostolic sects’ children don’t suffer from inkanda or any ailment related to amadlozi.
“We believe no one was created to suffer and all problems people encounter are a result of evil spirits from the devil.
Some people lose their property mysteriously and we rush to condemn them for using juju. Yes, I don’t deny that there are some people who look for goblins to amass wealth and such people come to us when they are in trouble to be cleansed, we are good at that,” he said.
But where does the power to heal people and solve their problems come from? Mvundla said one goes into fasting and eventually sees a vision that initiates him or her into being a prophet, but admitted some take shortcuts.
These he said are not inspired by the Holy Spirit. As part of their service to the nation, added Mvundla, they have been praying for rain and for the country to prosper especially now that a serious drought is upon the country due to El Nino-related conditions.
Unlike other sects that do not go to the hospital for treatment, Mvundla said his church respects society leaders by abiding to policy.
“We go to hospitals to pray for the sick as we support Government health programmes by taking our children for immunisation because the Bible says respect your leaders in your area.
“Some encourage people suffering from chronic illnesses to stop taking medication but with us it’s different. We pray for them but encourage them to continue with their medication because the majority of those who stopped have died,” said Mvundla.
“We applaud the President (Robert Mugabe) for his stance on gays and lesbians — it helps us as a church to fight the demon.”
Mvundla said it was disheartening that some churches had turned the gospel into business as they are after money.
Some prophets have been accused of charging for their services and Mvundla says people should not mistake asking people to buy materials needed to treat them for demanding money. Some of these are vimbela, ilitshe lenhlanhla and eucalyptus oil among others. Pentecostal churches also sell discs, anointing water, bangles and other items to their members.
Mvundla, however, warned about some unscrupulous individuals who are bent on destroying marriages because of the love for money. He said he wished “God continues to guide us so we help people build their homes.”
