Prophet violates coronavirus prevention guidelines

A SELF- STYLED Marondera prophet, who is married to 30 wives with 23 children has overlooked the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus pandemic by turning his shrine into a homestead for his family, a surgery for pregnant women and sick members from his church.

Prophet Ezekel Chikoto (35) of Johane Marange Apostolic Church has since erected 43 tents housing more than 60 sick congregants.

There are also 53 family members and expecting mothers, who share a single shallow well and two ablution facilities.

Prophet Chikoto professed ignorance over the dangers of coronavirus and its consequences when he was visited by the Mashonaland East Covid-19 Taskforce saying the pandemic was first prophesied by their church leader in 1957.

He said coronavirus would never affect any of his flock and other members from the Johane Marange Apostolic Church.

“This disease will not affect us, if we give you any of the members for testing you will not get any of them affected members from Johane Marange as it was prophesied by our leader in 1957.

“When we were notified that the pandemic was coming we thought it was AIDS but it has a cure. We acknowledge it’s a deadly disease, but it will not affect us,” he said.

A team from Mashonaland East Covid19 Taskforce team said they would look into ways of dealing with the situation at Chikoto’s shrine.

“We will sit down as a committee look at what we have been able to establish in terms of what exactly has happened, who is staying at the place and what activities are taking place,” he said.

There is a cemetery nearby where one of his late wives and nine children are buried.