The Sunday Mail
A wave of faith healers and prophets has swept across Zimbabwe over the past decade.
Many of these charismatic religious leaders have fallen by their wayside, and as they drop of the radar, there are always scores of others competing to replace them.
But through it all, the white-garmented faith healers/prophets – often referred to as “Madzibaba” – have remained a constant fixture in the religious firmament, shining as brightly as their robes and their oft bald heads.
In Harare’s high-density suburb of Glen View, Madzibaba Gambe is quietly attracting hundreds of people to his shrine daily, even as other charismatic religious leaders scramble to advertise their abilities and convince the weary, hungry, poor, love-lorn, jobless and dispirited to come to them.
Among his visitors is Marcus Masara, an accountant who says Madzibaba Gambe helped him get a job.
The 32-year old had given up on ever landing a job after another religious leader told him he was cursed.
After spending all the money he could get on prophets who promised much but delivered little, he came across Madzibaba Gambe.
“I was member of a church where I spent years in prayer with a prophet – with no luck. An old friend of mine referred me to Madzibaba Gambe who assisted me to break the curse and I managed to get a job,” says Masara.
Madzibaba Gambe is a busy man.
When The Sunday Mail Society visited his srhine last week, scores of people had called on his services by 10am.
Madzibaba Gambe says he discovered his gift at a tender age, and as the years went by, he often had visions that he says helped him help people in need.
“I started helping people at the age of seven years through my dreams, which foretold the future,” he says.
“With time I started having visions and I helped people through voices that spoke to me. At first, it was difficult for people to be convinced due to the rise of many false prophets but as time passed by, many turned to our church.”
The Kundiso Yevapostori Apostolic Church leader continues: “Modern day prophets attract lots of people but many of them are false prophets so people have realised that they were being cheated.
“However, we managed to stick to conventional ways of healing, which is natural. This has helped us keep congregants as well lure back those who had been enticed by false prophets.
“We are honest to our church members as we encourage them to take their medicines, especially HIV and TB patients.”
