Tendai Ruben Mbofana
Recently, self-styled ‘prophet’ Emmanuel Makandiwa accepted a lavish gift of luxury cars from controversial, scandal-riddled tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo.
To directly receive my articles please join my WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
The eye-watering delivery included a brand-new 2026 Rolls-Royce Cullinan facelift for the preacher himself and a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon for his wife, Ruth.
This came alongside a $1 million cash gift, which Makandiwa displayed before a cheering congregation in plastic-wrapped bundles of $100 notes, framing it as a fulfilled prophecy.
Yet, when initially offered these gifts months earlier, Makandiwa flatly rejected them.
Instead, he offered to invite Chivayo to his house to pray for him.
This is where things get interesting.
As Zimbabweans, we ought to ask: why did Makandiwa initially reject these gifts, and what subsequently changed his mind?
Most importantly, why did he offer to pray for Chivayo in the first place?
To pray for what?
In our Christian faith, when a spiritual leader offers to pray for someone, it implies a recognition that something is amiss.
We pray for individuals we see as spiritually lost, in need of God’s salvation, guidance, and wisdom, or those facing severe moral and existential crises.
Did Makandiwa initially view Chivayo as a soul in dire need of divine redemption?
If so, what shifted to make him decide that Chivayo was suddenly untainted and his gift acceptable?
This brings us directly to Chivayo’s source of wealth.
Does Makandiwa know where the money and high-end vehicles came from?
Did he ever take time to ponder this fundamental question, and if so, what was his conclusion?
Could the questionable origin of these funds have been the very reason he initially rejected the gifts?
As much as Chivayo is touted in some circles as a businessman, his activities are opaque and deeply mired in controversy.
Who can forget the infamous $5 million advance payment for the Gwanda solar power plant that never generated a single watt of electricity?
Or the R800 million (about $42 million) allegedly deposited into his bank accounts by Ren-Form CC immediately after the South African firm received R1.1 billion from Zimbabwe’s Treasury for overinflated election materials—a transaction flagged by South African financial intelligence authorities.
Would anyone not expect a self-proclaimed man of God to question the moral legitimacy of such benefactor funds?
Legitimate business wealth is seldom shrouded in secrecy.
We know the net worth of figures like Strive Masiyiwa, Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos not because they brag, but because true enterprise operates transparently.
A tycoon like Masiyiwa rarely boasts, yet established global institutions like Forbes recognize his standing because corporate entities publish audited financial statements, profit declarations, and clear records of value creation.
We cannot say the same for Chivayo.
If he is a legitimate tycoon, where are his financial statements and corporate declarations?
Shouldn’t such glaring discrepancies raise immediate red flags in the mind of any genuine man of God?
Are we wrong to suspect that Makandiwa’s eventual U-turn was not guided by divine revelation, but was rather a surrender to a potent temptation?
An unsettling biblical image comes to mind.
Picture Jesus in the wilderness after forty days of fasting.
Satan tempts Him by displaying all the kingdoms and riches of the world, offering them to Christ if He would only bow down.
Jesus firmly rejects the adversary.
But imagine if, moments later, Jesus called Satan back to accept the offer.
What would have become of Christ’s divine mission and human salvation?
We must never underestimate the power of temptation.
Satan knew very well that Jesus was the Son of God, repeatedly testing Him with “If you are the Son of God…”
Yet he pushed forward because he understood human vulnerability and knew Jesus was clothed in human flesh at the time.
Scripture highlights that Christ understands our weaknesses because He was tested in every way.
Jesus faced extreme physical hunger, and Satan offered bread; He faced the human allure of earthly dominance, and Satan offered wealth and power.
Overcoming that trial required immense prayer, spiritual discipline, and total reliance on the Holy Spirit.
No human can delude themselves into believing they can resist fierce temptation without divine guidance.
Even I could never arrogantly claim that I would easily resist Chivayo’s lavish gifts on my own human strength.
Resisting such an overwhelming temptation would require me to pray fervently and depend entirely on the Holy Spirit, just as I relied on divine grace to overcome my own battles with alcohol years ago.
It breaks the heart to see a prominent spiritual leader succumb to such earthly allure after initially standing firm, exposing once again why the Scriptures caution that the love of money is the root of all evil.
But perhaps we should not be surprised by a leader residing in an opulent mansion so grand that even Chivayo marvelled at its imported Italian marble.
When a spiritual shepherd lives in such extravagant luxury while surrounded by a poor, struggling flock, his moral defense is already compromised.
His vulnerability to questionable wealth is laid bare long before the luxury cars ever arrive at his doorstep.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to contact him on +263715667700 or mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com