UNITED Family International Church (Ufic) founder Emmanuel Makandiwa says he stands by his prophecy that Zimbabwe is sitting on massive untapped oil reserves.
On August 29, Makandiwa told thousands of people who attended Ufic's Judgement Night 3 crusade in Harare that God had showed him the area where massive oil deposits would be discovered in Zimbabwe.
The "prophecy" sparked debate, with Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo describing it as "crap".
However, Makandiwa's spokesperson Prime Kufa yesterday said there was a tendency to manipulate Makandiwa's prophecies to push "certain agendas". He said contrary to other people's claims that his prophecies never manifested, the gold rush prophecy on January 1 2013 had come to pass.
"I believe people should not be afraid of their prophet and start making misplaced conclusions. But they should ask the prophet for clarity and in the case of the oil, ask him to show them where it is," Kufa said.
"I have heard some saying it is because he knew about the Zambezi Valley oil deposits, but if you heard well, he talked about our fathers being diverted and following a big river [Zambezi] and God saying, 'If they find it, will it be enough?' And then God showed him another area [not the Zambezi Valley] where there are more deposits."
Last year, State media claimed that the government was contemplating exploring for oil on the Zambezi Valley following an alleged exploration by Mobil Oil in the 1990s.
Moyo was one of Makandiwa's high-profile critics after he took to the micro blogging site, Twitter, and warned that prophets should keep to issues of faith and leave the rest to science.
Moyo's observations on Makandiwa's prophecy were supported by several Zimbabweans, with some saying the political scientist was spot on.
But, Moyo received a backlash from Makandiwa's followers, with Jealousy Mawarire taking to his blog to accuse the Zanu PF secretary for science and technology of poking his nose on issues he did not understand.
Kufa maintained that several prophecies made by the Ufic leader had come to pass, including the Chinese explosion prophecy which he allegedly made on January 11 this year.
"There is a tendency to manipulate the prophet's prophecies in order to push certain agendas. "He never talked about gold falling from the sky, but rising, and I also do not remember the prophet giving a time frame when he talked about the coming industrial boom," Kufa said in reference to the January 1 2013 prophecy.
"People have to make an effort to understand the prophetic word before rushing to conclude. Give me one person who was present at Judgement Night 2 who heard the prophet mentioning a date for the industrial revival. It is the same people who will next year be saying, 'Where is the oil that was prophesied last year?' A prophet is a spirit who is not limited by time and one has to know where the prophet is 'standing', in terms of time when he says 'I see this or that' because he could be in the past, present or the future," Kufa said, giving an example of Isaiah in the Bible, who prophesied the birth of Jesus and died way before the prophecy could be fulfilled.
"I would leave it to you to do the research on the gold prophecy because our national gold output statistics say it all. In 2013, the country saw a 30% increase in gold production with the bulk of it coming from smallscale miners as major mines were closing (a testimony that the main sulphide zone is now more easily accessible like the prophet said it would rise just like the water table)".
"We have had countless reports, not from Ufic but from newspapers on gold rushes everywhere where some people were reportedly gathering as much as 17kg of gold," Kufa said, quoting newspaper articles on gold discoveries across the country.
"So what other fulfilment are we talking about? If somebody has not picked a nugget in their bedroom in Borrowdale, does it mean the prophecy has not been fulfilled? It is all about finding out what is happening elsewhere," he said.
"I believe accurate prophecies, including the China explosion (which you have chosen to say nothing about) should prove a person's gift and lead people to know that this is not mere talk or guesswork, otherwise we would not have the venue full again if Prophet Makandiwa gave prophecies that are never fulfilled."
Last month, a massive explosion ripped through a Chinese industrial zone Lijin Dongying City, in Shandong, and killed over 100 people.
At 2013's New Year Cross Over celebrations, Makandiwa prophesied the collapse of an "old wall."
In 2014, when news about the structural defect on the Kariba dam wall broke out, his followers said it vindicated his prophecy.
However, some of his critics immediately rubbished the prophecy, claiming he was prophesying on things that were already in the public domain after research had shown that the dam wall needed immediate attention.
Makandiwa's Judgement Night 3 was reportedly attended by about 150 000 people.
Some of the delegates included ministers and top government officials, while others came from outside Zimbabwe.
On August 29, Makandiwa told thousands of people who attended Ufic's Judgement Night 3 crusade in Harare that God had showed him the area where massive oil deposits would be discovered in Zimbabwe.
The "prophecy" sparked debate, with Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo describing it as "crap".
However, Makandiwa's spokesperson Prime Kufa yesterday said there was a tendency to manipulate Makandiwa's prophecies to push "certain agendas". He said contrary to other people's claims that his prophecies never manifested, the gold rush prophecy on January 1 2013 had come to pass.
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"I have heard some saying it is because he knew about the Zambezi Valley oil deposits, but if you heard well, he talked about our fathers being diverted and following a big river [Zambezi] and God saying, 'If they find it, will it be enough?' And then God showed him another area [not the Zambezi Valley] where there are more deposits."
Last year, State media claimed that the government was contemplating exploring for oil on the Zambezi Valley following an alleged exploration by Mobil Oil in the 1990s.
Moyo was one of Makandiwa's high-profile critics after he took to the micro blogging site, Twitter, and warned that prophets should keep to issues of faith and leave the rest to science.
Moyo's observations on Makandiwa's prophecy were supported by several Zimbabweans, with some saying the political scientist was spot on.
But, Moyo received a backlash from Makandiwa's followers, with Jealousy Mawarire taking to his blog to accuse the Zanu PF secretary for science and technology of poking his nose on issues he did not understand.
Kufa maintained that several prophecies made by the Ufic leader had come to pass, including the Chinese explosion prophecy which he allegedly made on January 11 this year.
"There is a tendency to manipulate the prophet's prophecies in order to push certain agendas. "He never talked about gold falling from the sky, but rising, and I also do not remember the prophet giving a time frame when he talked about the coming industrial boom," Kufa said in reference to the January 1 2013 prophecy.
"People have to make an effort to understand the prophetic word before rushing to conclude. Give me one person who was present at Judgement Night 2 who heard the prophet mentioning a date for the industrial revival. It is the same people who will next year be saying, 'Where is the oil that was prophesied last year?' A prophet is a spirit who is not limited by time and one has to know where the prophet is 'standing', in terms of time when he says 'I see this or that' because he could be in the past, present or the future," Kufa said, giving an example of Isaiah in the Bible, who prophesied the birth of Jesus and died way before the prophecy could be fulfilled.
"I would leave it to you to do the research on the gold prophecy because our national gold output statistics say it all. In 2013, the country saw a 30% increase in gold production with the bulk of it coming from smallscale miners as major mines were closing (a testimony that the main sulphide zone is now more easily accessible like the prophet said it would rise just like the water table)".
"We have had countless reports, not from Ufic but from newspapers on gold rushes everywhere where some people were reportedly gathering as much as 17kg of gold," Kufa said, quoting newspaper articles on gold discoveries across the country.
"So what other fulfilment are we talking about? If somebody has not picked a nugget in their bedroom in Borrowdale, does it mean the prophecy has not been fulfilled? It is all about finding out what is happening elsewhere," he said.
"I believe accurate prophecies, including the China explosion (which you have chosen to say nothing about) should prove a person's gift and lead people to know that this is not mere talk or guesswork, otherwise we would not have the venue full again if Prophet Makandiwa gave prophecies that are never fulfilled."
Last month, a massive explosion ripped through a Chinese industrial zone Lijin Dongying City, in Shandong, and killed over 100 people.
At 2013's New Year Cross Over celebrations, Makandiwa prophesied the collapse of an "old wall."
In 2014, when news about the structural defect on the Kariba dam wall broke out, his followers said it vindicated his prophecy.
However, some of his critics immediately rubbished the prophecy, claiming he was prophesying on things that were already in the public domain after research had shown that the dam wall needed immediate attention.
Makandiwa's Judgement Night 3 was reportedly attended by about 150 000 people.
Some of the delegates included ministers and top government officials, while others came from outside Zimbabwe.
