Former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has criticised Job Sikhala, the former Zengeza West legislator, for visiting ‘Prophet’ Blessing Chiza of Eagle Life Church in Bulawayo describing the visit as a staged fraudulent spectacle. Chiza prayed for Sikhala during his time in prison, and upon his release, he expressed gratitude to the church for their support.
Sikhala, accompanied by his wife, visited the church and asked for continued prayers, stating that his experience in prison was difficult. He also told the preacher that he was failing to sleep after he dreamt of himself being informed not to wear suits. Chiza said Sikhala must do as he was told in the dream. He said:
I’m not prophesying. I’m interpreting because I don’t want people saying Chiza prophesied to him. No, It’s a dream he was given, I am just interpreting the prophetic dream that Job Sikhala is looking for interpretation. He is failing to sleep because it’s from God that’s why he’s like that… My question when I looked at you when you were there I said why is this man still wearing suits when he was told to stop wearing suits. From today, stop wearing suits. Do what you were told. All the things in that dream, follow them… And you found yourself, from that day, there is something that came upon you you don’t even understand but when you’re speaking, you hear the voice of Nelson Mandela coming through you and even people are saying you are now talking like Nelson Mandela… Even those who are listening to him, you can hear the spirit of Mandela, the voice of Mandela.
However, Moyo strongly criticized Sikhala’s visit, stating that it undermined Sikhala’s credibility as a serious politician. Moyo labelled the church event as a fraudulent scam, comparing it to the practices of TB Joshua, a controversial Nigerian preacher. According to Moyo, politics and religion should be kept separate, and political leaders should not engage in such outrageous scams if they want to be taken seriously by the public. He said:
This fraudulent spectacle staged by @ProphetDrBChiza in Bulawayo on Sunday is neither an interpretation of anything, let alone of any dream as claimed, nor a prophecy; it’s a criminal scam, TB Joshua style, and it has no place in serious or progressive politics. It must be said that @JobSikhala1 ought to know better or he should be better advised. In politics, there are some red lines that political leaders who want to be taken seriously by the public in the public domain must not cross, and this kind of outrageous scam is one of those lines. Politics is not a religion and has absolutely nothing to do with religion; it is the secular praxis – interactive behaviour- of groups of men and women with shared aspirations in pursuit of political power to execute common interests or objectives through the institutions of government and the state!
In Zimbabwe, politicians often use religion to gain support from the predominantly Christian community. Even before colonial times, Africans believed that leaders were chosen by gods or ancestors. Spirit mediums were consulted during the installation of kings to determine the rightful leader. In modern times, both the ruling party ZANU PF and opposition leaders frequently visit churches to appeal to congregants for their votes. Some church leaders even use their platforms to campaign for specific individuals.
There are rumours that Job Sikhala, who recently spent time in prison, wants to leverage his popularity gained from persecution to gain power. His release from prison coincided with the resignation of Nelson Chamisa, the former leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), citing infiltration and hijacking by ZANU PF and its allies within CCC. Some analysts see this coincidence as suspicious, suggesting that there might have been a deal with the government to release Sikhala and fill the opposition power vacuum left by Chamisa’s departure. Sikhala denies allegations of negotiating his release and claims Sengezo Tshabangu, the disputed CCC interim secretary-general would want to be associated with an “icon” that’s why he claimed that he negotiated Sikhala’s release.
Source Pindula News
