HARARE – Controversial ZANU PF activist and preacher Passion Java’s religious event dubbed the “Night of Wonders” staged at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Thursday night was attended by a small crowd that failed to fill the stadium.
Ahead of the event, Java, who has previously been filmed uttering unintelligible words bordering on profanity, which he refers to as “tongues”, vowed he would never preach again if he failed to fill the 60,000-seater National Sports Stadium.
According to reports, Java collaborated with ZANU PF to transport the ruling party’s supporters to the event. However, despite the extensive mobilisation efforts, thousands of people chose to stay away.
Posting on X, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono said the “Night of Wonders” was not a genuine religious event but was meant to be a show of force for long-term political plans. Wrote Chin’ono:
“This fake prophet, called Passion Java, who is President Mnangagwa’s associate, failed to fill the 80k-seater National Sports Stadium in Harare.”
“Even with the help of the ruling ZANU PF party, which sent messages to its structures to get their supporters to attend the fake prophet’s so-called Night of Wonders with the provision of many free buses, the stadium was empty.
“The citizens have caught up on his lies and fake prophecies; that is why the regime won’t allow any other terrestrial television station in Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe only had one TV station, the only African country of significance with one TV station.
“Last night was not about genuine prayer; it was meant to be a show of force for long-term political plans, but it spectacularly collapsed as the man who made a poor attempt to look like Michael Jackson was left to do his silly tricks to an empty stadium.
“The buses came back empty too because, unlike an election, the ruling party, which tried everything to help him, couldn’t rig the numbers that came!
“It is also a sign of divisions in the ruling party, there are factional battles and Java is part of a faction.”
Chin’ono castigated ZANU PF for what he described as the abuse of religion for political ends and for taking advantage of the poor masses. He said:
“The abuse of religion for political ends by the ruling party is at an all-time high. Sadly, when a nation’s people are poor and living in abject man-made poverty, they will believe anything in exchange for a meal.
“Hopefully, the refusal to turn up for the charade yesterday sends a powerful message to the ruling party and its charlatan preachers!
“This is happening in a country with 95% unemployment, the highest inflation in the world, no clean drinking running water, and a collapsed hospital system, yet grown men sit down to plan this nonsense to brainwash citizens!
“Corrupt rule will try anything to stay in power, thankfully the citizens rejected this latest cheap antic!” Chin’ono wrote.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Zimbabwe, with approximately 85% of the total population identifying as Christian. Pindula News
