Prophet Angel up for $300 000 fraud

POMP and extravagance is the signature of Zimbabwe's mushrooming prosperity gospel preachers. Millions of Zimbabweans have been sucked into their web on the promise of riches.

Caught up in the fog of faith, thousands have given up their houses, expensive cars and life savings to the prophets after being spun yarns about their "seed" giving back many times more.

It may have worked for some, but many have been left to count the cost of their blind faith after the promised riches failed to materialise, while the prophets moved on to the next fortune seeker, also eager to part with their priciest possessions.

While many, perhaps out of shame, drop out of church and wallow in their stupidity, one man is fighting back to regain a $300,000 car which he willingly gave up hoping for endless blessings.

Ndabazinengi Shava, a Harare businessman, says he gave the pricey Bentley Continental to the internationally-acclaimed Prophet Uebert Angel, leader and founder of the Spirit Embassy.

In papers filed at the Harare High Court last Thursday, Shava claims that he was convinced by the charismatic preacher to "surrender the vehicle as a way of sowing a seed into his life". He claims that Prophet Angel, also known to his followers as 'The Major Prophet', vowed that his "seed" would multiply three-fold within eight months - but nothing of the sort happened.

"It was a further term of the arrangement between the parties that should the seed fail to germinate, Mr Shava was free to pick up his vehicle and at all material times the vehicle remained the property of Mr Shava," his lawyers said in a declaration.

Shava now accuses Prophet Angel of fraud.

Said his lawyers, Chinyama and Partners: "Contrary to Prophet Angel's promise, a period in excess of one year has since lapsed with the seed not having germinated and Mr Shava has realised that the representations made to him by Prophet Angel were fraudulent misrepresentations aimed at defrauding Mr Shava of his motor vehicle?

"At the time of making these misrepresentations to Mr Shava, Prophet Angel was in his sober senses and not under any spirit at all and he knew that what he was promising to Mr Shava was not the truth and will never come to pass."

Prophet Angel is yet to respond to the summons - but the case will test the faith of many followers of the charismatic preachers, some already queuing in line to plant their "seed".

The popular preacher is now living in the United Kingdom after all but winding down his church in Zimbabwe, which at one time peaked with an average 10,000 people attending Sunday services.