Prophet Magaya takes his fight against apostolic sects to another level

Prophetic Healing and Deliverance ministries (PHD) leader Walter Magaya has scaled up his fight against apostolic sects alleging that most of them used "marine spirits and snakes" to hoodwink their followers.

Speaking at the launch of his 40-page book titled Marine Spirits: Part Two, which is a follow-up to an earlier publication which generated a lot of controversy among members of the apostolic sects throughout Zimbabwe, Magaya challenged the sects' prophets to publicly disclose the source of their power.

"Being a white garment sect follower means you are supernaturally empowered to fail," the introduction of the book says.

The youthful but charismatic church leader whose congregation draws thousands of people at his Waterfalls, Harare, church site, said he was geared for a backlash from the apostolic sects as he stood for the truth.

He alleged that a number of apostolic sect prophets who wore white garments "consult witch doctors and spirit mediums for power while witch doctors and spirit mediums also
consult these white garment sects".

"The marine kingdom is all about water such that the environment of these shrines resembles a marine kingdom. In most cases, there are planted reeds, water lilies and other water-related plants on the altar," he wrote.

"The main water calabashes contain water taken from lakes, oceans and deep water pools depending on the geographical distances the shrine is from the main water source to symbolise the marine kingdom. The members put on white long garments which is also a characteristic feature of the marine cloth and shape."

This is not the first time that Magaya has attacked the apostolic sects who have also labelled him a "fake prophet".

Asked if his book was not a declaration of war on the sect which enjoys support from President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF government, Magaya responded: "I am not attacking the apostolic sects, but marine spirits. If there are true mapostori, they are few. Many of them must close because they are agents of the marine kingdom."

Although most of the things he mentioned in his book as some of the features of a marine kingdom and used in pentecostal churches, PHD included, he said people should ask "which spirit is behind this church".

"People should have the spirit of discernment to judge which is a true church or not. The spirits behind a church is very clear, not all people who read the Bible are children of God and not all prophets are true," Magaya said.

"These prophets originate from the same source of the marine kingdom and choose to operate as either (witch doctors) or prophets. A white garment prophet uses a stuff (tsvimbo inonzi nokati) while a n'anga also uses a stuff (tsvimbo yasekuru). They hold their prayers while facing the east because the marine spirit is controlled by the mermaid and each time a mermaid is found on rocks by the deep pools or the ocean, it is always facing the eastern direction. The sitting position of stretching their legs also resembles the way a mermaid sits on the rocks with legs stretched out as it faces the eastern direction."

He alleged that the apostolic sects use strange "marine terms in their tongues such as "ocean king, ocean guidance devirisha (devil) and many more. Their lives resemble abject poverty and serious lack, yet a true prophet's life must be blessed in his life in order to bless others".

"They promote marriage breakdowns through their false prophecies and evil accusations. They do not promote peace and unity in families, but rather cause conflict," Magaya said.

To prove his claims, Magaya paraded an apostolic sect family from Mutare which he said had been using a snake to hoodwink its followers. The scary testimony which he said was just an example of how many "so-called prophets from the apostolic churches live." He detailed how a snake was giving power to an apostolic church leader from Mutare.

"A majority of these shrine ‘alters' have got a curtain of poly cotton materials, usually red, white, green or maroon colour which divides and hides the other side of the altar from the followers. A lot happens behind those curtains as the prophet is performing his rituals while the rest of the followers are bowing down and busy praying to the unknown god," he said.

Magaya added: "As mentioned earlier, the white garments sect is run by the marine spirits. It is a marine sect. Another area which reveals the evil nature of the white garment sect is that of forced relationship through the use of their evil powers and concoctions.

A majority of prophets are so evil to the point of assisting barren women in the absence of their husbands and usually meet them in private, thereby creating the room to being intimate with such women and they become pregnant. All what the husband knows is that they are being assisted by the prophet through concoctions, water and marine pebbles in order for the wife to conceive."

Magaya also alleged that: "A shrine is a hub of sexual immorality and promiscuity. If there is a place of worship with highest rate of sexual immorality, it is the white garment sect shrine. If a woman turns down sexual advances of the shrine prophet, she is rebuked at the shrine gate and receives death threats among other threats."