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| Prophet Uebert Angel |
FUGITIVE Good News Church leader Prophet Uebert Angel is unlikely to return to Zimbabwe anytime soon as he is facing imminent arrest over a botched car deal, and this was evident after he failed to visit the country in his “African Tour”.
Prophet Angel, who recently announced that he was rebranding his church from Spirit Embassy to the Good News Church, visited Southern African countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia in a whirlwind of crusades but suspiciously skipped Zimbabwe, his home country.
He is believed to be currently based in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. This has raised questions on whether Prophet Angel will ever return to lead the flock that made him millions of dollars.
The flamboyant prophet was popular for driving top-of-the-range vehicles, including a Lamborghini and Bentley Continental, among others. At some point, he was quoted as saying he was worth US$60 million.
However, it is the US$300 000 Bentley Continental that landed him in trouble after a Harare magistrate, Mr Tendai Mahwe issued a warrant of arrest on December 24, 2014 when he did not appear in court to respond to allegations of lying to businessman Mr Ndabazinengi Shava that he would “harvest” several vehicles and money if he “seeded” his Bentley Continental to the preacher.
Part of the warrant reads: “These are (police) therefore in the State’s name to command you that immediately upon sight apprehend and bring the said person or cause him to be apprehended and brought before the court of a magistrate to be examined and to answer to the said information and to be further dealt with according to law.”
The warrant, therefore, seems to be the major stumbling block for Prophet Angel’s return to the country. And in his lengthy absence, his flock has jumped ship and joined other churches.
The Good News Church, which at some point boasted of church premises and offices in Graniteside, Harare, is now holding its services at the Harare Agricultural Showgrounds where a handful of people are seen in attendance.
Questions abound on whether these charismatic church leaders will die with their churches given that their churches crumble in their absence.
The Sunday Mail Religion understands that even pastors who used to travel with Prophet Angel have also left the church to go back to their ‘original churches’. Pastor Itai Munyeza for example, has since gone back to Faith Ministries.
One of the former pastors who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “I think a lot of people are seeing the light now. About 80 percent of his (Prophet Angel) main pastors in Harare have left, mostly the ones he was walking and travelling with. They all left but no one is really speaking out.
“(Prophet) Angel came and said God sent him to Africa and said go make my people rich and he came and made himself rich. He came in a Merc (R Class Mercedes Benz) which he bought in the UK on account and went back in a Bentley,” the former pastor fumed.
After spending 12 years overseas, Prophet Angel returned to Zimbabwe in March 2011, and his congregation grew rapidly as multitudes embraced his charismatic style and “miracles”.
He dramatically left the country in May 2014, amid speculation that he was either a fugitive, bankrupt or sick. It later emerged that he had fraud allegations that haunted him out of the country.
Efforts to get a comment from Prophet Angel have been fruitless as his UK number is not reachable but in a Tweet believed to be from his official Twitter account last week, he confirmed the change of the church name and his ‘African Tour’.
He tweeted: “Can’t wait to go back home after my African Tour.
I miss The Good News Church in UK & I miss my favourite @Prbeverlyangel
“Spirit Embassy remains the name of the organisation that manages the church but The Good News Church is the new church name.”
One of his local church leaders, Pastor Felix Angel refused to comment before asking The Sunday Mail Religion to drop the story. “Don’t worry about asking us questions, just leave out the story,” he said. The Sunday Mail
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