Prophet Makandiwa's wristband saves me from vampires

On March 25, 2015, a "friendly" man approached 22-year-old Mvuma shop employee Miss Gladius Gwasunda as she was walking to work.

Polite and charming, the stranger easily struck up conversation.

Unknown to Miss Gwasunda, this was Alois Tapuwa Nduna, the suspect in a series of murders and rapes.

Arguably Zimbabwe's most prolific killer, Nduna (26) allegedly traversed the breadth and length of the country, raping and killing women and sucking their blood. His victims number 12.

In an emotional interview recently, Miss Gwasunda told The Sunday Mail how the "Vampire Killer" nearly killed her with his bare hands.

She maintains, though, that a wristband she wore that morning saved her.

United Family International Church leader Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa is said to have anointed the wristband to fend off evil spirits.

"I was walking to work and when I got to a bushy area, I saw a man approaching from the opposite direction. He asked whether I had seen someone with a certain T-shirt. When I told him I had not, he continued walking," recalled Miss Gwasunda

Suddenly, he made a U-turn.

Miss Gwasunda was startled to see him coming up behind her. Was he going to attack? Had her darkest hour arrived?

She was relieved when he told her that he had decided to go back to continue searching for his friend.

Suspected killer and rapist Alois Nduna soon after his arrest

However, this "polite" stranger was simply biding his time. Soon, he would switch into killer-bloodsucking mode and add her to his statistics.

"A haulage truck passed by and I commented on how the female driver steered the truck confidently. As my attention remained on the truck and its driver, I felt a rough tug at my throat. Moments later, I was on the ground."

A harrowing 30-minute ordeal followed, as she gallantly fought for her life. She wrestled the maniac whose sole objective was to choke life out of her.

"I pleaded with him to spare my life and take the cellular phones and money in my handbag. However, he scooped up some soil and shoved it down my throat. He also bit two of my fingers, nearly severing them. The grip on my throat tightened. I felt I was losing the battle."

Blood filled her mouth.

Then came the defining "wristband-life-saving moment".

"I was about to surrender. I, however, prayed silently and flashed a United Family International Church wristband in the attacker's face.

"The attacker, who by now had dragged me into a bush, suddenly let go. Two men appeared from nowhere and the attacker ran into the thicket," she said.

Miss Gwasunda believes she would have certainly died had it not been for the wristband. In his confession, Nduna admitted that the "power" of the wristband had "overpowered him".

UFIC spokesperson Pastor Prime Kufakunesu said Miss Gwasunda was indeed saved by the wristband.

Quoting Acts 19:11 in the Bible, Pr Kufakunesu said, "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

"Anointing is transferrable. The problem comes when we look at spiritual issues using our own minds. Once we do that, we can even begin to doubt whether Mary was really a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus."

But did the wristband really save Miss Gladius Gwasunda?

While both the victim and suspected serial killer strongly believe it did, many are still trying to digest the matter.