THE United Family International Church (Ufic) caused a stir recently when it released a video of its leader Emmanuel Makandiwa where he is said he have prophesied in April that a senior politician would be poisoned.
The video was released soon after Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa was airlifted during a rally addressed by President Robert Mugabe after he started vomiting and suffered from diarrhoea.
There were allegations that the VP was poisoned. Our chief reporter Everson Mushava (EM) spoke to Makandiwa’s spokesperson Prime Kufa (PM) about a number of issues raised after the release of the video.
Kufa defended the prophecy, saying it was made publicly on April 9. Below are excerpts from the interview.
EM: The prophecy about a “loyal, senior politician becoming ill after ingesting something” has created controversy after Vice-President Emmerson Mnangwagwa fell ill. Was your prophecy correctly interpreted?
PM: It is the way in which people interpret prophecy which brings controversy. Is it not surprising that more than 2 000 years down the line, the book of Revelation remains a “controversial” book.
This is mainly due to the different interpretations that we give to it.
And as to the prophecy being interpreted correctly, already there are hundreds of versions of interpretations doing rounds on social media platforms so obviously the answer becomes “No”.
Only the prophet can give the accurate interpretation of his prophecy.
EM: Why did the church decide to release the video of the prophecy that you made in April after the recent incident?
PM: Let me correct a few things here; It is the fulfillment of the prophecy that came into the public domain last week.
The prophecy was made publicly on the 9th of April before more than 40 000 people and it is recorded on dvds.
In the book of Acts: 2 v16 onwards, Peter was reminding people of a prophecy that was given by Joel, centuries earlier, after witnessing its fulfillment.
So we cannot then say Peter was releasing the prophecy into the public domain but it was the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy that he was now telling the people.
EM: Did you take any steps to warn the individual concerned about your vision?
PM: The prophecy in itself was a warning.
EM: Did your church pray for the individual as you urged your congregants to do?
PM: We always pray for our national leaders , political, religious etc. and we firmly believe that it is the role of the church to do so.
EM: Why did you avoid naming the person in your prophecy?
PM: Which is more difficult; naming the person or describing him? Because if you watched the prophecy, the person was described in detail.
EM: What is your reaction to people who say some of the prophecies Makwandiwa made in the past, such as that Zimbabwe’s economy will turnaround, have not been fulfilled?
PM: Prophets have the advantage of being able to visit different time zones in the spirit realm so we need to seek to understand the context and the time.
Prophets like Isaiah never lived to see the Messiah but the book of Isaiah is full of prophecies about the coming of the Messiah.
If he had lived in this age, he would have been branded a false prophet at the time of his death.
He is known as the eagle-eyed prophet in theological circles because our generation has the advantage of looking at both his prophecy and its fulfillment in retrospect.
So I think in the context of the economy, the correct term there is “not yet fulfilled” because like with every other prophecy he has given, it will be fulfilled.
People have seen how all his other prophecies have been fulfilled and they can’t wait for this one because it benefits them all, so it’s a question of impatience on the people’s part than doubt in the prophet.
EM: What is your reaction to criticism about local prophets like Makandiwa who have spiritual fathers in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana?
PM: God is too supreme a being to be limited in the context of colour, race, tribe or clan.
We have had black people in this country who go to churches led by white missionary pastors and they would even call them father.
Locally, we would call them “Fata” and we all know this is in reference to spiritual fatherhood. So if distance is the sin, which is closer to Zimbabwe; West Africa or Western Europe?
EM: How does one choose a spiritual father?
PM: Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa has taught broadly on the subject but one fundamental issue, which I think is important as a summary is that one should not be led by the gift in the prospective spiritual father but by the character. – The Standard
