Makandiwa Hits Back at Chiwenga Over Prophetic Foresight

By Southerton Business Times Reporter, Harare

United Family International Church (UFIC) founder and leader Emmanuel Makandiwa has hit back at Jesus Revelation Ministries leader Talent Chiwenga following criticism over his failure to foresee the helicopter crash that killed businessman and socialite Wicknell Chivayo.

Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and other occupants of the helicopter died when the aircraft crashed at a farm in Marondera on September 30. Chiwenga questioned why a genuine man of God had not predicted the tragedy and warned Chivayo against travelling, sparking public debate about the responsibilities and limitations of prophetic claims. The criticism drew particular attention to Makandiwa because of his close relationship with Chivayo, who had reportedly donated luxury vehicles to the preacher and his wife, contributed US$1 million towards UFIC’s church construction project and dined with Makandiwa five days before the fatal crash.

Responding to questions about whether he had foreseen the accident, Makandiwa said he had never claimed to possess complete prophetic knowledge. “As for the question of whether I saw the accident prophetically before time or not, as some may wonder, that to me was rendered unimportant when I stated in time past my inability to see everything,” he said. “I reiterate that I have never seen everything, I don’t see everything, and I won’t see everything. Only God does.”

Makandiwa questions Chiwenga’s criticism

During a recent church service, Makandiwa revisited the controversy and challenged Chiwenga’s right to criticise other prophets, referring to a road accident Chiwenga survived in June 2019. Chiwenga was seriously injured in the accident near Masvingo, in which his wife and two other people travelling with him were killed. Drawing a comparison with that tragedy, Makandiwa said: “You had your husband in the car. It was you driving. Where was your God?”

Makandiwa repeatedly referred to Chiwenga as a woman during his remarks and used language that appeared intended to ridicule him.

He also made a personal allegation against Chiwenga without presenting evidence to substantiate it. The exchange has added to the public debate over prophetic authority, particularly whether religious leaders who claim spiritual insight should be expected to predict major tragedies involving people close to them. Makandiwa, however, maintained that being a prophet did not mean he could foresee every death or that his own family was protected from tragedy.

“Some of us are smart enough to know that those issues should not be touched,” he said. “I can lose my family at any time. But no one is ever going to question me, ‘Why didn’t you see that?’ I’ve told you I don’t see everything.” His comments suggest that he rejects the expectation that a prophet must have foreknowledge of every tragedy, including accidents involving close associates.

Remarks draw attention to prophet accountability

Makandiwa concluded his response with remarks that appeared to signal a willingness to confront Chiwenga beyond the religious debate. “Some of us, we are not just prophets; we are men. We are men,” he said. The statement could be interpreted as confrontational, although the remarks quoted here do not establish whether he intended a specific physical threat.

The dispute has placed the relationship between prophetic claims, public accountability and personal tragedy under renewed scrutiny. While Chiwenga’s criticism centres on why the crash was not foreseen, Makandiwa’s response is that he has never claimed to see everything. The exchange leaves a broader question for followers and observers of Zimbabwe’s religious landscape: what should congregants reasonably expect from spiritual leaders who are widely regarded as prophets?

Makandiwa responds to Chiwenga