The Sunday Mail
A few people, mostly women and girls, mill around the massive residential complex.
A man and a woman dressed in what appears to be 19th century servants’ attire are among the chattering cluster.
Not so long ago, hundreds of people from all corners of Zimbabwe would have been in attendance on this day.
This huge complex in Chatiza village serves as both the home and shrine of Guruve’s “Girl Jesus”.
Born Tepsy Nyanhete, Girl Jesus shot to national prominence when she, at age six and with the assistance of her parents, formed the Mweya Unoyera cult.
The cult at one time was the talk of Zimbabwe as it clashed with Government authorities over a number of issues.
At the height of its popularity, many children dropped out of school and followed Girl Jesus. After a police raid, some of the rescued children were put in the care of social workers.
Tepsy’s parents served time in prison for child abuse.
A visit to the shrine last week revealed that the cult is clearly on the decline.
Apart from the few people, broken down vehicles also littered the back of the complex, a sign of hard times.
The cult blames the media for its woes.
Enias Nyanhete, the father of Girl Jesus, said the media were not telling the cult’s story “as it should be told”.
“Jesus was interviewed on a number of occasions but nothing came out of the papers. Several television crews came here but there was nothing. Our story has never been told to the outside world, resulting in the drop in numbers,” Nyanhete — aka Baba Joseph — complained.
According to Nyanhete, the cult has a membership of more than 500 people.
Locals say the cult is unpopular in the area — something that Nyanhete did not dispute.
Villagers said only a few people are still attending the cult’s now erratic church services.
Occasional live music rehearsals and performances, which are fronted by Girl Jesus herself, have failed to draw the crowds.
“For many reasons, among them jealousy, people don’t like us here. We have a branch in Mazowe and we have many followers there. Like our Jesus here, Jesus of Nazareth was followed more by people from other areas,” said Nyanhete.
Maxwell Sarirambe, a cult member from Mazowe, is not worried about the numbers.
“We will stand by our Jesus even if the world does not recognise us. I am a volunteer here and that’s how best I can show my allegiance to the church,” Sarirambe said.
