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Shingi Munyeza

Last year in July, our sister paper, The Sunday Mail ran an interesting story titled: “What is Shingi Munyeza up to?”

The story was in response to political statements and posturing the businessman and pastor had made. Said the paper on July 16: “Faith Ministries senior pastor Shingi Munyeza has been courting controversy as he delves into politics, sparking speculation that he is angling for at least a Parliamentary constituency in the 2018 elections. Pr Munyeza, who runs gambling houses and has facilities to sell alcohol, has in recent months posted inflammatory statements on social media.

“Although it could not be immediately be ascertained as to which political party he belongs or may wish to represent in the 2018 elections, or indeed if he is angling to launch his own party, many say his statements have firmly cast his political colours as an opposition activist.”

Apparently caught in the political euphoria that was growing within the so-called social movement, Munyeza predicted that there would be countrywide chaos that would topple Government.

That was the time when the likes of Evan Mawarire had just hogged the limelight and were being punted for political revolution. It was the time for sporadic strikes and violence mainly in Harare. It was also the time when opposition aligned youths carried out small time acts of urban banditry in the name of #Tajamuka.

Apparently, Munyeza impressed so much so that he saw the hand of God in it all. “A little while ago I warned of severe turbulence. We have now entered into severe turbulence. “Further warning — the severe turbulence will last longer than expected. Zimbabwe is going through change which involves everyone so it becomes the country that God always wanted it to be,” Sunday Mail quoted him as having gloated.

For his own part, Munyeza had begun writing on social media various messages that were anything between expert analysis/advice and pastoral letters.

Misappropriation of God 

It goes without saying that there was nothing special about Shingi’s postulations, advice or predictions.

It was all hot air coming from someone who had decided to take the opposition political stand. It didn’t have anything to do with God. As indeed it was shown when the protests fizzled out to where we are now. What Munyeza falsely predicted as turbulence was just a storm in a teacup.

God had nothing to do with it. Which brings to the fore the important description that Sunday Mail helpfully drew us to namely that Munyeza runs gambling houses and facilities that sell alcohol.

He probably mistook God as one of his clients!

Unseeing Watchman

We have been drawn into these reflections by a story in one of the papers that this week reported on Munyeza having crafted a latest epistle under the title, “Advice and Warning from the Watchman”.

We have not seen this latest presentation. Not that it matters much or change the fact that Munyeza is wrong again. But the Daily News reported him as pontificating that the message was facing Armageddon.

“ . . . you will lose against the economy, don’t intimidate or command it,” he says in cheap potshots at Government programme of Command Agriculture and the general matrix of reviving the economy.

Then he delves into to the zanu-pf succession narrative saying: “Indeed, without your proposed presidential candidate, the party will disintegrate into at least three formations; it’s too late for succession fights.”

From the above one can see that Munyeza is just a self-important opposition soul who is neither compelling nor convincing. Not even does his stature as a businessman shine through.

He sounds cheap. The Sunday Mail asked what he is up to.

We wonder, too, but we are willing to place a gamble at one of his joints that he won’t amount to much!