The Sunday Mail
UFIC spokesman Pastor Prime Kufa sent his response when the story on page one had already gone for print. Below is his statement;
As the United Family International Church we have never operated guest houses or guest lodges and we do not have such intentions as of now.
What we have is a Prayer Mountain in Chinhoyi and Prayer Centres in Harare, aptly called Life Haven. These are centres where anyone can camp for prayer, in an environment where they meditate away from the hustle of their homes
The man of God (Prophet Makandiwa) takes time to give lessons on marriage, business, leadership, ministry and also pray for them. Yes, there is an option to meet the man and woman of God for personal questions, prophecy and guidance but such option may or may not be exercised by the individual, depending on one’s personal needs as some just come to enjoy prayer in the presence of God in a tranquil environment.
It is common knowledge that there are costs associated with running the place such as electricity, water, food, transport, etc. for the pilgrims. It would be unthinkable that people could go to such places for free. How would the place remain functional, who would fund it if it’s not self-sustaining? It is, therefore mischievous and misleading to say people pay to see the Prophet. People pay for their accommodation, transport and their food!
As for how much, people can call and enquire, it is 100 for all benefits during the stay. Like I said, no one comes to see the man of God but for a spiritual retreat. The man of God has openly stated several times that people should focus on God and not on him; meeting God should be their motivation. We have had so many people that come with various ailments like HIV, cancers, stroke etc. and are healed on arrival. The people may make decisions to leave without even catching sight of the Prophet, not even from afar! This is because the place is Holy, dedicated to God— He has the ‘Freedom of the place’, so to speak, and operates according to His Holy will.
I would also want to have one name, just one, of someone who can claim to have come for prayer and failed to see the man of God face to face and one-on-one. Some people who need concentrated prayers at the Life Haven but cannot afford, can have their stay paid for by the Prophet. He comes to Church, selects such cases and sends them to Life Haven and all they carry is their clothing. He follows them up to see to attend to their situations. It has to be noted that we have several high-ranking people who visit the place; politicians, businesspeople and musicians, therefore security has to be tight. We need to maintain people’s privacy when they come into Life Haven.
