Suspicious  Shift: Prophet Angel and Apostle Chiwenga Rally Support for Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Amid Political Turmoil

By Staff Reporter

Zimbabwe’s political landscape is witnessing a dramatic twist as two influential religious leaders—Prophet Uebert Angel and Apostle Talent Chiwenga—have openly changed their stance, now urging the public to respect and support Vice-President General (Retired) Constantino Chiwenga amid intensifying friction inside the ruling ZANU-PF party.

During a spirited Sunday sermon at Spirit Embassy on November 1, Prophet Angel condemned recent attacks on the Vice-President, declaring:

“The vitriolic attacks against Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is a disgraceful exhibition of political impropriety and a display of intellectual bankruptcy.”

He made it clear that while political leaders could be criticized, personal attacks were unacceptable.

“Criticism is legitimate. You should. You must. People criticise me. They criticise the President. They criticise the Vice-President. It’s allowed. But contempt masquerading as criticism is diabolic. It’s evil,” he told his congregation.
Angel urged Zimbabweans to heed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s decision to keep Chiwenga as his deputy:
“If the President sees him fit to still be the Vice-President, it must be a sign that I, with my little mouth or big mouth, should hush.”

The preacher also referred to Chiwenga’s former wife, Marry Mubaiwa, whose public comments had sparked controversy. Angel warned against participating in personal attacks, especially amid public marital disputes.

These bold remarks followed a turbulent period in ZANU-PF, where the recent Chinhoyi conference brought tensions between President Mnangagwa and his deputy into sharper focus. The conference resolved to keep Mnangagwa party leader until 2030 and shifted the next elective congress to 2029, crystallizing internal rifts.

Meanwhile, Apostle Talent Chiwenga, previously a vocal government critic, recently struck a new tone. In a candid online address, he admitted:

“I want to apologize, perhaps, for the first time in my life, for the irritations that I caused in the society because of my methods of preaching.”
He went on to praise Constantino Chiwenga’s leadership and announced his intention to return to Zimbabwe—a significant departure from his earlier combative stance.

The public interventions of these high-profile religious leaders have quickly become a focal point in the ongoing debates over leadership succession and party unity. Their statements follow major developments, including the lifting of remand conditions on Marry Mubaiwa—still facing legal fallout from allegations related to Chiwenga’s hospitalization in 2019—and the tragic death of businessman Wicknell Chivayo in a helicopter crash, incidents that continue to influence political discourse.

Despite the storm of speculations, Prophet Angel insisted he was “not taking sides” and called for restraint:

“Let Chiwenga carry out his duties as Vice-President and avoid turning political disagreement into personal abuse.”

Taken together, the recent voices of Angel and Talent Chiwenga have thrust the Vice-President’s fate—and the role of influential “men of God” in politics—into the national spotlight, raising new questions about Zimbabwe’s future leadership as ZANU-PF wrestles with its internal divides.