Revisiting Madzibaba Nzira’s legacy 13 years after

LET’S roll back to 2011 and envisage a situation where top-of-the-range vehicles are parked neatly outside Madzibaba Nzira (real name Godfrey Nzira)’s Julanifiri Santa Shrine in Chitungwiza The place is filled to capacity as people from all walks of life attend the Sunday session to receive spiritual healing from the revered self-confessed prophet Today, 13 years later, the once holy ground resembles an abandoned home with overgrown trees threatening to bury it while a few men are taking turns to guard it against possible invasion by other apostolic sect leaders The controversial Madzibaba Nzira died in 2011 a few months after he was freed from serving a 20-year jail term for rape

He was in March 2003 slapped with a 42-year prison term following conviction on seven counts of rape and one of indecent assault involving female congregants However, 10 years were suspended on condition of good behaviour before another 12 years were slashed by the High Court on appeal The late prophet, who led thousands of congregants at Johane Masowe Echishanu apostolic sect was a renowned bootlicker of the late former President Robert Mugabe After his release from prison, Nzira held a week-long celebration that was attended by the who-is-who of Harare at that time

Though his end was marred by controversy, Madzibaba Nzira was a popular spiritual healer whose shrine attracted top government officials and renowned business people, among others He was also one of the richest prophets on the land Today, Madzibaba Nzira has “resurrected” through his son Shepherd (42) who has set up his base in Mutare His residence in the sprawling suburb of Hobhouse has been turned into a shrine, with hundreds of worshippers and those afflicted with various ailments flocking to the mansion for spiritual healing

He has also adopted his father’s title — Madzibaba Nzira, with some of his clients coming from as far as the United States and Europe In an interview with NewsDay Weekender, Shepherd, who has renamed the sect as Zvakazarurwa Zvevapostori, narrated how he ended up inheriting his father’s spiritual powers “I relocated to Mutare unexpectedly in 2009 I went to Mutare to conduct a spiritual healing

I assisted a lot of people, but there was a person who had an ailment which took me over a week to deal with,” he recalled “There was high demand for my services and I kept helping people in Mutare until I started staying there I was offered a house by one of the people whom I had assisted, who saw me having roots in Manicaland province.”

Source: The Standard Zimbabwe