By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |
Aaron Mhukuta, the Vadzidzi VaJeso prophet popularly known as Mudzidzi Wimbo, has dismissed longstanding claims that he is living in captivity after being abducted by the army to force a prophecy on who will replace President Robert Mugabe.
The prophet is said to have prophesied in 1957 that Mugabe would rule Zimbabwe.
Wimbo gave an interview to State media and said he had left his home freely to live at the shrine but some reports indicated he was being held as a prisoner of the army that is reportedly backing Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe.
Official media reporters claimed they visited the shrine and found him attending to about 2,000 people, among them foreigners, who had visited him to receive spiritual help.
“I am tired of explaining that (my stay at the shrine). I was not abducted by anyone and I am happy and preaching the word of God from this shrine,” said Wimbo.
Earlier, Wimbo had reportedly told the police that he had never been abducted but chose to live at the shrine to avoid some of his sons who were angling to take over the popular Apostolic church from the 94-year-old prophet.
“Currently, I am staying at the shrine. I cannot currently go back home because there is disorder. I am not going to return to the Gomo Village again,” says Vimbo in a video recording of the police interview.
Wimbo’s aide, Shepherd Chingwena, confirmed a fierce dispute between the prophet and some of his sons, claiming that the spiritual figurehead had some time back foretold his relocation to the shrine in Mashonaland Central province’s Mt Darwin district.
Chingwena said they had invited Mnangagwa and Local Government minister to officiate at the opening of a school that has been built at the shrine.
The army, contrary to previous reports, had not invaded the shrine but had a training camp nearby.
“The issue of soldiers who are said to be staying here are all lies. What I only know is that there are soldiers who do their training a few kilometres from here and they asked Mudzidzi to fetch water here since we have tap water, and Mudzidzi agreed. That request was done well before Mudzidzi came to stay here,’ one of Wimbo’s wives, Jester Mhukuta said.
Chingwena added that Wimbo had ruled out Joice Mujuru, Mugabe’s former deputy and now leader of the opposition ZimPF, and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, as future presidents.
“He made several other prophesies apart from that one. For instance, prior to the expulsion of Joice Mujuru from Zanu PF, he said the former VP (vice president) was getting lost and that Zimbabwe will never be ruled by a female President.
“In 2003, he prophesied that Zimbabwe will use the US dollar as its official currency, and in 1995 he said Gabriel was going to rule the whole of Africa. He further elaborated that he was not referring to Gabriel the angel, but the leader of Zimbabwe. We only realised the meaning of that prophecy when President Mugabe was appointed African Union chairperson.
“Mudzidzi Wimbo prophesied about perennial droughts and that MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai would not rule Zimbabwe. Those are some of the prophecies he has made and he is not the kind of a man whom you can pressurise to say something,” said Chingwena.
He said Wimbo still stood by his 1957 prophecy but the “problem is that in political circles, there are certain people who no longer want President Mugabe and they think that Mudzidzi Wimbo is a stumbling block to their ambitions and, they now wish him to die.” Nehanda Radio
