Shock as Prophet Drowns During Cleansing Ceremony

 

A self-styled Marondera prophet, 28, has left his members in shock after he drowned in a river during a cleansing ceremony and his body was only recovered two days later, NewsDay reports.

 

It was gathered that Blessing Chizema, who was with the Johane Masowe Nyenyedzi Nomwe Apostolic Church, drowned in Rufaro River while reportedly cleansing Nelia Ngwerume of demons.

 

Although Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Nobert Muzondo could not be reached for comment yesterday, church members said Chizema drowned on the night of March 9 while baptising Ngwerume in the company of a female congregant identified as Mavis Nyagayi.

 

According to reports, Chizema told the two women that he had a marine spirit and that he usually went to the river during the night for rituals and returned home at sunrise.

 

As they got to the river, the prophet ordered Ngwerume to get into the water for the cleansing exercise to begin.

 

During the process, Chizema suddenly disappeared under the water.

 

The women thinking it was also another trick in the ritual, waited for the prophet to emerge from the water, but in vain. They then left the river and informed the prophet’s wife, Linda Chareka, about the incident.

 

On March 11, after realising that the prophet had not returned as he used to do, Chareka and other church members conducted a search party and found Chizema’s body floating in the river.

 

A report was made at Marondera Rural Police, who attended the scene. The body was retrieved by the sub-aqua unit and conveyed to the Marondera District Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem. The incident happened in Zimbabwe.