For years I have battled to keep my journalism principles and my religious beliefs separate, but this is easier said than done.
Religion is a powerful tool, which is why people often clash when one despises the other’s beliefs.
The first test came in 2003 when an elder in our church, the Zion Christian Church led by Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi, told me that one of our senior prophets in the church in Harare had told congregants to concentrate on worshipping God rather than dabbling in politics because this would only divide them.
Divisions had surfaced in the church with some senior people openly supporting the Movement for Democratic Change and others the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
The church does not support any political party but encourages its members to vote. But, as a bible-based church, its supports the government of the day as Romans 13 vs 1 says: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (KJV).
The prophet had told congregants to focus on praying because then President Robert Mugabe would outlive all his enemies.
That was absurd because at the time, the MDC had just embarked on the final push. The country’s economy was collapsing and even die-hard ZANU-PF supporters wanted change hardly a year after electing President Robert Mugabe for a six-year term.
I too was sceptical but my religious doctrine did not allow me to despise prophecy. I witnessed Mugabe’s staunchest critics go one by one. First it was Australian Prime Minister John Howard, then Tony Blair, then George Bush. Mugabe even survived the 2008 defeat.
With too many prophets claiming all sorts of things coming onto the Zimbabwean scene, I decided to write the story for The Insider in September 2003 so that I would have proof if the prophecy turned out to be true. I also wrote a long story about this in 2009, shortly after Barack Obama won the US elections and entitled the story: When religious beliefs clash with journalism principles.
I updated the story in 2013 when Mugabe won the elections under the title: God, Mugabe and the West.
True to the prophecy, Mugabe was not removed by his enemies but by his closest lieutenants, people that he later confessed he did not believe could do such a thing. And that was some 14 years after the prophecy.
The prophecy about the return of a stronger Zimbabwe dollar came when the church was building its historic temple at Mbungo, about 50 km east of Masvingo, along the Mutare Road.
The prophecy said that Zimbabwe, which at the time was experiencing one of the highest hyperinflations in the world, will prosper and the Zimbabwe dollar, which was in total shreds would bounce back as one of the strongest currencies in the region competing favourably with the South African rand and the Botswana pula.
Once again I wrote the story in the property section of the Financial Gazette which I worked for at the time as well on in the Insider.
I therefore sincerely believe that the prophecy is now being fulfilled. The time has come for Zimbabwe to once again prosper with the Zimbabwe dollar taking its rightful place. No man can stop that.
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