FIF celebrates ZEGU victory ‘Our God is awesome!’ ZAOGA Forward in Faith members and leadership in Western Canada praised God when ZEGU was miraculously saved
‘Our God is awesome!’ ZAOGA Forward in Faith members and leadership in Western Canada praised God when ZEGU was miraculously saved

‘Our God is awesome!’ ZAOGA Forward in Faith members and leadership in Western Canada praised God when ZEGU was miraculously saved

Thandiwe Konguavi in Edmonton, Canada

Friday, March 18 came around and FIF members all around the world tuned in from different time zones to watch a live stream of the launch from Bindura. It was reported that the road to Bindura was full of cars travelling from all over Zimbabwe to witness the official opening. The historic event was attended by over 10 000 people.The news came like a bomb.

“Varsity facing demolition” was splashed all over the newspapers. Little did we know, a modern day Esther story was to unfold before our eyes.

After raising millions of dollars to build the historical, world class indigenous university, the Bindura-based Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU) was to be torn down.

Bindura businessman Mr Charles Chakumba was seeking demolition of ZEGU because it was built on his gold mine claims. ZEGU, he said, was barring him from exercising his mining rights.

Legal proceedings were set in motion to evict the church. When the people heard, many were deeply distressed.

The gallows were prepared.

This was not a battle that could be fought in court; the church had failed to attend a pre-trial conference due to a mistake on the part of the church lawyers’ secretary, who was served with the pre-trial hearing notice but had misfiled it.

This is a war for prayer.

All over the world, Forward in Faith (FIF) members received their marching orders: Fear not, this is just a passing storm. Let’s pray as we trust God.

The people took confidence in the fact that God’s sovereignty would rule over this whole situation.

And it did.

Along with other faithfuls across the world, here in Edmonton, Canada, church members wailed in prayer.

Then came a bulletin announcing that in two days His Excellency Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, would be officially launching the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University in Bindura. Some were skeptical of the bulletin at first: How could this be? The president arriving to launch a university that was supposed to be demolished?

FIF Western Canada pastors and overseers Newman and Amai Alice Kuzamba said, “Let’s praise God for it and receive it in the spiritual realm.”

Friday, March 18 came around and FIF members all around the world tuned in from different time zones to watch a live stream of the launch from Bindura. It was reported that the road to Bindura was full of cars travelling from all over Zimbabwe to witness the official opening. The historic event was attended by over 10,000 people.

We could not believe our eyes as indeed, President Mugabe and First Lady Amai Dr Grace Mugabe arrived on the school grounds to much jubilation. It was a miracle!

“With all that was happening in the press, God stood by His word and confirmed that He is indeed the owner of ZAOGA FIFMI,” declared Dr Steve and La-Verne Simukai, deputy secretary generals for FIF International.

The newspaper headlines confirmed the miraculous change of events: “President Mugabe Launches ZEGU”; Businessman Withdraws ZEGU Suit.’

The vindication could not be more complete, but it did not stop there.

President Mugabe praised Dr Guti for the vision of the church he imparted to the people to work “Talents” and for the fact that he had taught this indigenous church Zaoga FIF to be self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-administrating.

Known as “Matarenda”, the vision came when a young Guti came to America for school. A wealthy American man who had a big church and many buses came to Guti and said, ‘Work under me, so that I may help you in all your work and the building of churches in your country. I will also give you many buses.’

Guti, needing money for ministry activities thought this was the answer to his prayers: ‘God has seen me and now I have found money,’ he said.

He told the man he would give him his answer the following day. After praying, God spoke to him and said, “If you work under this man, you may do so, but I will not be with you. I will take away my anointing from you. Humble yourself and obey me, I will be your money.”

The Lord instructed Guti to go back to his country, where there is a lot of money. “Go and teach the people my word and teach them to give and also to work talents.”

Starting in Zimbabwe, where millions of dollars have been raised through the businesses that church members have started through talents, the people have raised every dollar to build the state-of-the-art Mbuya Dorcas Hospital and ZEGU, the institution officially opened by His Excellency on that fateful day in March.

At the ZEGU launch, President Mugabe paid homage to Prof Guti for coming back home after his schooling in America.

Indigenous initiatives will bring total economic emancipation to the people, he said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to end by congratulating you most heartily on this university,” said the president. “I declare the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University officially open. I thank you.”

The great honour His Excellency gave to Dr Guti ended the threat to have the university demolished.

As in the life of Queen Esther’s cousin Mordecai, God had used both character and circumstances to weave an effective counter strategy against which the plan against his people could not stand.

God’s hand in this saga has proven that He has not changed the way He works today.

In addition to endorsing the vision of FIF founder Archbishop E.H. Guti, President Mugabe declared the church should not pay the $2.3 million it had been charged for the State land on which the university is being built.

He did not stop there.

More land should be allocated, he said: You might also want to do agriculture, and gold mining.

Thandiwe Konguavi is a Canada-based journalist for the Western Catholic Reporter. She is a member of FIFMI Edmonton and a former cub reporter for the Herald in Zimbabwe.

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