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Tafadzwa Zimoyo

Senior Lifestyle Writer

It is a rarity for a prophet to be celebrated in his neighbourhood and yonder.

Prophet Uebert Angel has cast a first, being appointed Zimbabwe’s Ambassador at Large by President Mnangagwa while his spiritual forages abroad have long been recognised. 

Controversy aside, at home, be it in Epworth, Hopley Farm, Mabvuku, Kambuzuma or Chitungwiza, Angels is known for his philanthropic work, which has changed lives.

He has fed and clothed the poor. 

But who is Uebert Angel, the great preacher and fashion animal whose dressing would make internationally acclaimed models such as Tyson Beckford, Armando Cabral and David Gandy green with envy?

Who is this man, who has been to the best places in the world and has met some of the powerful leaders in Africa and beyond. 

A lot has been said about Prophet Angel and as always he says, 

“A very sad but common reality is if you are at the top you become the topic, something I since learnt to not take personal.

I have become a business venture in someone’s life and they can’t make money unless they oppose me. 

So I understand that those who speak ill could be struggling to make ends meet and the only way to do so is to oppose me so they get attention. If they talk about themselves no one will give them attention.

I do not respond or fight naysayers, God put me here, he will deal with his people. 

I keep this in mind that if you are the head you become the headline and ultimately become someone’s headache,” said Prophet Angel.

Early in the week President Mnangagwa commissioned the man of cloth his Ambassador at Large to the Americas and Europe responsible for deepening investment in the country. 

The Prophet Angel and his wife, Berverly affectionately known as BeBe held a meeting with President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare where he was conferred with that role. 

Saturday Herald Lifestyle caught up with the recently appointed ambassador who shared his social, business and religious lifestyle. 

Not many people knew how humble, sharp and smart, he is.

“Prayer eats most of my time, so does my business too. I spend a lot of time in fellowship with God as well as business, apart from that I live by a rule that many can be in your circle but not in your corner so I personally don’t believe in friends. 

“As for social time, I am an omnivorous reader,” he said. 

Angel who has houses in the United Kingdom, Greece and United States said his normal day starts with a prayer before he checks his diary for meetings. 

“As man of prayer, I take time to commune with God first and also throughout the day. That initial fellowship with Him is critical as it directs my path and decisions, after that it’s work and more work!,” he said. 

Asked what his new role means and demands, the father of four boys said it is about serving his country as he always does through preaching the gospel of God. 

“Serving my country is a great honour and responsibility I don’t take lightly at all. Without paying attention to the political cannibalism that comes with serving in government, serving in the capacity of ambassador as well as Presidential Envoy to Europe and the Americas is exhilarating and to serve under the leadership and vision of his excellency the President of this second republic, can only be God. I am very pleased to be part of his vision hugely because I am a nationalist.

I am well aware of the demands that accompany my role to help out Great nation, Zimbabwe, attain an Upper-Middle Income Economy status by 2030. His excellency’s vision for this country reaching that milestone is not a mirage to me but an attainable destiny,” he said. 

Angel says education is key to success.

 “I hold a Bachelors Degree Science in Business Finance from Salford University, a Masters in Business Management Entrepreneurship at Edinburg University Napier and also a PGDE in Education from University of Bolton. I am still looking to expand my knowledge. 

Many people have asked what inspired my educational choices and I always I had an insatiable appetite for entrepreneurship having come from a background where my late father was a businessman in his own right.

So I wanted to read on anything to do with finance, business and how to educate others. 

This I did to best equip myself for a future I knew would be in entrepreneurship and training,” he cited.

He said will use the knowledge he has to work on his post as an executive ambassador and diplomat for Zimbabwe. 

“I intend to utilise everything I have learnt not just at degree level but also based on my exposure and experience as an entrepreneur myself. I have accumulated a healthy Rolodex of similar minded people from around the world who are ready to come and see what Zimbabwe has to offer in terms of investments.

I have already invited some investors who’re landing in Zimbabwe next week. I will also be engaging with other ambassadors, embassies in Europe and the Americas which is where I have been assigned. I intend to serve my country well,” he said. 

Angel is a bookworm too. “My favourite fashion label is Vincenzo Luca which was founded by my wife. To be honest, I do not know what is in my closet, I have given away most of my belongings. So I wear a lot of Vicenzo Luca suits.

“I just completed a book by Beth Elise Whitaker and John F. Clark called: Africa’s International Relations: Balancing Domestic and Global Interests. On watching television, I would say if and when I do watch television I indulge in well researched documentaries. I like to know what is happening around the world,” he said. 

As busy, he is, Angel said had written 15 books. 

But how does he keep fit and in shape?  “I am now a gym rat because of my wife BeBe Angel who loves and never misses gym,” he said. 

With all the money and being a businessman the man of God said he owns few trucks. “Our foundation has a few trucks that enable us to help others, life has gone beyond me. It is no longer about me but my heavenly father’s business. When I was immature I used to think having many cars was an indication of success, let’s just say that I have grown. The foundation is where my passion lies,” he said. 

Angel says will also help the country by bringing investors. He has a lot of philanthropic work in Zimbabwe together with his wife. 

“After my foundation completed its 122 trips in Zimbabwe, feeding thousands, we are now working on helping farmers with seeds, extending scholarships so we can improve the life of an ordinary Zimbabwean as much as we can as a foundation,” he said. 

He opened up that he once met the founder and president of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, based in Lagos, Nigeria who inspired him to assist people. 

“Years back Pastor Chris Oyakhilome encouraged us with a revelation that when your financial status changes, you should not concentrate on changing your standard of living but your standard of giving to the less privileged, so we started giving like we had never done before. 

It was then that we discovered something that pushed our giving pledge a notch higher.

This was seeing The First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and her own Angel of Hope Foundation, in remote areas spending days with tribes forgotten by our society, taking care of widows across the country as well as cancer ridden patients, less privileged families and the time she spent with terminally ill children, the list goes on. 

It was so moving that my wife, BeBe and I decided we needed to amplify our efforts because we have the means. It birthed in us a hunger to do even more,” he explained. 

Ambassador Prophet Angel said the greatest challenge he has overcome was losing his father. “I was very close to my father and him leaving this earth was very difficult. To me nothing compares to losing a parent,” he said.