Save Zimbabweans from bogus prophets

I had to make the attached screen shot in case the Sunday Mail Editor, or the chairman of Zimbabwe Newspapers, or the Minister of Information, who is ultimately responsible for state publications, would one day deny that they have been lying to Zimbabweans, with economic predictions made by quack prophets.

The Sunday Mail Reporter Brian Chitemba clearly spent the night at the prayer session, which started at 11pm and from where he wrote that Prophet Magaya delivered a "prophetic message" that Zimbabwe would soon become an economic powerhouse and the livelihoods of many of its citizens would change for the better.

While we cannot stop from going to Magaya's (and Makandiwa's and other fake churches), the thousands of gullible Zimbabweans who don't know that the so-called miracles by their church are paid for by their tithes that are demanded at 10% from every member, we can certainly ask about the efficacy of state editors providing reporters to spread the deception.

With 350 000 people attending, each contributing 10 percent of whatever they get every month, is it a surprise that the "Prophet" should be driving the latest fancy cars and telling Zimbabweans not to worry because things are going to change for the better.

'In the meantime keep giving me your 10 percent so I can by my wife a new car and build a bigger house for myself.' seems to be the message. How the laws in Zimbabwe can allow this business to go on under the guise of religion is beyond comprehension.

Any church that promises miracle money and miracle healing should be shut down and its officials prosecuted for lying to people and fraudulently taking their money. In the case of the Zimbabwe economy prediction, other newspapers from the same stable have reported the IMF's dire predictions about the economy.

Based on the recently completed Third Review of its Staff-Monitored Program, the IMF said only three days ago, in a Press Release that the economic situation in Zimbabwe remains difficult. Growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had decelerated from 10½ percent in 2012 to 4½ percent in 2013, and down to 3% in 2014.

The external position remains precarious, with "low international reserves, a large current account deficit, an overvalued real exchange rate, and growing external arrears.

"Credit and deposit growth have slowed down sharply, liquidity conditions are tight, and the banking system remains weak. Fiscal pressures arose in early 2014 due to higher-than-budgeted wage increases and revenue shortfalls as the economy weakened."

The authorities were only able to meet their fiscal targets for the first half of 2014 because of "a package of revenue and expenditure measures," but sustaining higher growth and poverty reduction would require comprehensive reforms over the medium term. You can read the rest of it at Here

My rant this Sunday is about the immorality of a state-sponsored newspaper promoting the hocus pocus of fake priests and prophets who are obviously involved in an enterprise to cheat people out of their little income to enrich the church officials.

They take advantage of the economic downturn where everybody is praying for a miracle, and instead of saving the little they have, they go and give it to the prosperity gospel church and the hope that it will be multiplied.

Sociologists will also tell you that there is an increase in gambling. In the case of the churches the gamblers are simply leveraging their bets with a bit of prayer and a donation to the church, which encourages them by promising miracles.

It will be multiplied for the self-anointed Prophet, and his officials but not for everybody, because it only comes from one source, the limited amount of tithes that are contributed by the members.

I am also surprised that civic society in Zimbabwe has not taken up this issue, so that the state can put in place the right legal framework to stop this daylight robbery.