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Fungai Lupande and Tafadzwa Ndlovu Herald Reporters
It was pomp and fanfare at the United Family International Church (UFIC) yesterday as Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa solemnised a mass wedding of 606 couples at the City Sport Centre in Harare.

Prophet Makandiwa told the congregates that he felt like “crying” because he had never witnessed something of this nature before.

“I have been to several places and have seen their places of attraction, but I have never seen any sight as beautiful as this mass wedding. If there are people who are happy today, it’s me and my wife. You have done me a great job. This is history, you have done it in a different way,” he said.

Prophet Makandiwa, however, regretted that he could not have all the people who registered witness the occasion.

“We had to split the couples into two groups with the other group having their mass wedding beginning of next year or so. These are the ones we could solemnise today,” he said.

Prophet Makandiwa told the couples that his wife promised to throw them a party to celebrate with them.

Before taking the couples through their vows, Prophet Makandiwa asked them if any of them wanted to spend the rest of his or her life without such a wonderful partner, and the answer was a thunderous “NO”, which attracted ululation and cheers from the congregation.

Prophet Makandiwa advised the couples against adultery, adding “what you might look for in another strange man or woman, already exists in your partner”.

Speaking at the same occasion, Pastor Prime Kufakunesu congratulated the couples and commended them for having a leader like Prophet Makandiwa.

“The person who presides over your wedding imparts something into the marriage. It is a good thing if the marriage of that person is exemplary.

“You are blessed to have a servant of God who has it all. He does not only preach but live it as well. A wedding is not a cake, honeymoon or those after parties but that chapter when your spouse takes you through the vows,” he said. Mr and Mrs Nyamukonda, who were among the couples, said it was a blessing to be part of that historic event.

“We are on cloud nine. I love God and I will love my wife all the days of my life,” he said.

Another couple, who refused to be named, said they were very happy to be married at such colourful big event.

“This is wonderful and we are very happy to be part of this event,” they said.

Prophet Makandiwa also revealed that he had acquired a 100-acre piece of land in Mt Hampden to build another 100 000-seater church.

The Mt Hampden church will become the headquarters of UFIC.

Prophet Makandiwa also announced that he had bought another 215 acres of land in Chinhoyi to build a place of prayer.

“We opened a specific account for construction purposes unlike in Chitungwiza where I am the one using my own funds to build the church.

We will build the Mt Hampden church from church funds. The building plans are already in place and we will start construction early next year.

“The place we bought in Chinhoyi will become a prayer mountain and it has seven mountains with specific names where people would go with their problems and pray.

“Dormitories are already under construction and soon people will be allowed to go there,” he said.

Prophet Makandiwa said he was investigated in 2009 by certain officials who wanted to establish his financial records.

“I was once investigated for over a year in 2009 by people who wanted to find out how church funds were being used. Fortunately, I had already assigned my finance director to keep receipts even of a light bulb and bank statements because I had known beforehand that it would happen.

“One of the officials said that never in his lifetime had he seen an organised church like UFIC. After the investigations they told me that nothing was wrong,” he said. Prophet Makandiwa took a swipe at his detractors and told the congregation that soon he would reveal where the negative things in the media were coming from.

“When I come back I will let you know the person who has been feeding the media with negative things about me. You know him and you will not believe it,” he said.