Grim prophecies stir hornet’s nest

THE fallout over death prophecies is widening, with prominent preach­er Uebert Angel, wading into the saga by urging authorities to penalise false seers.

This comes after an incensed Youth minister, Tino Machakaire, publicly dared self-styled prophets to reveal the exact date of his death.

These grim predictions came in the wake of the death of flamboyant businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke, and three others in a horrific helicopter crash last Wednesday. In a sermon over the weekend, Angel said prophets who made false death prophecies needed to face the death penalty —arguing that such predictions were easy to fake and exploit people’s fear of death.

“We have seen that the Honour­able minister Machakaire is going to die next. I think we have to talk to the President that we have to bring back the biblical standard of a prophet.

“You say something, it doesn’t come to pass, you have to be killed. Death penalty for false prophecy,” Angel told congregants.

He said predict­ing someone’s death was hardly evidence of divine revelation because death was an every­day occurrence.

“You want me to do a fake prophecy now? Someone will die in the next few days. Wait for the next few days. You don’t need to wait for the next few days, just a few minutes.

“Do you know how many people die per day? It requires no prophetic genius. Imagine, how happy that you said minister Machakaire will die. 174 000 people die in the world every day.

“This is even lower than two deaths per second from the time I said this prophecy,” Angel said further.

“And, because you are dunderheads, you believe such nonsense. Death pen­alty for false prophecy. Everyone just wakes up, who can I target? Who is making the waves? Youth minister,” he added.

Angel accused some self-styled prophets of exploiting people’s fear of death and passing off ordinary predictions as prophecies.

“You couldn’t see Covid-19 with how big it was. You see Machakaire, is he going to die? One day, you are also going to die. Your mother will die, your uncle will die, and your father will die.

“So when somebody dies that you mentioned, it doesn’t mean to say you prophesied.

“You are simply witches, wizards, pretending to be prophets. No house, no car, nothing, broke —zero,” Angel railed further.

All this comes after Machakaire publicly challenged self-styled prophets to reveal the exact date of his supposed death.

The Zanu PF youth league boss issued the unusual challenge at the weekend, following a flood of “prophecies” claiming that he would be the next high-profile figure to per­ish in a helicopter crash.