HARARE - Charismatic preacher Uebert Angel Mudzanire has confirmed that he owns a Lamborghini — a supercar, which costs nearly $1 million to import into the country.
With a 2012 version of the Lamborghini Aventador priced at $400 000-plus, it would have cost the “man of God” nearly $800 000 to land the car in Zimbabwe if a 100 percent duty tariff was applied for the importation of this expensive ride.
By acquiring this mean machine, which can hit a 0-60 kilometres in 2,9 seconds and has a top speed of 350km/hour, Angel joins an elite group of high-rollers, if not car aficionados, such as runaway businessman Frank Buyanga, who also owns a fleet of fast and pricey wheels.
“Have I imported a Lamborghini? I have a Lamborghini. I am not a hypocrite, I tell you what I have,” the Spirit Embassy Church (Spirit) founder told the Daily News on the sidelines of a Tuesday media conference where he and close pal Emmanuel Makandiwa were forced to explain, if not defend, their miracle crusades.
Apart from this, Angel also owns a bluish $200 000 Bentley coupe, which normally forms part of a five-car cavalcade.
In the convoy, which often attracts stares from home fans, there is also a Range Rover Sport, Jaguar and other cars.
With a number of farms and other undisclosed businesses, the 34-year-old preacher was, however, quick to point out that he did not fund his lavish taste with church offerings.
“We have been calling the media to come to church, especially my church. You can come to his (Makandiwa) church (to) count the offerings,” he said, adding journalists could have up to four months for the audit, but “we will obviously put guards because you will steal”.
“You count the tithe yourself, we give you the expenses, then you go and pay, we put people to go with you. Then after that you will realise that there is no money to steal because we are the ones who are sponsoring (the church), we don’t (steal), it’s not the way we get money,” Angel said.
“We are blessed of God, we don’t (dip our hands into offerings), what offering? $1? The question should be how do you get your money rather than taking money from the people,” the self-styled and Boston University finance graduate said.
Quizzed on exactly how he gets his money, Angel retorted: “I plead the Fifth Amendment; it means I don’t comment (and) that is not what is under discussion here.”
As Zimbabweans wait to whet their appetite — and eyes — on the Italian-made car known for its bull emblem, it will not be the first time that these celebrity preachers have wowed crowds with big cars.
While his close friend and spiritual twin Makandiwa drives around in a $240 000 white Lexus, and four-wheel drive vehicle, the prosperity gospel proponents left their followers agape at an all-male Harare convention where the conference floor was decorated with cars including a Hummer.
The City Sports Centre event, where people were encouraged to aim higher, was graced by their spiritual father Victor Kusi Boateng, a Ghanaian preacher.
In recent months, Makandiwa has even told his church that he wants his followers to ditch their “Datsun 120Ys” for Mercedes Benzes.
With pentecostalism sweeping through Zimbabwe — offering not only the promise of entering heaven, but earthly possessions and healing — churches are slowly morphing into big business.
Folks continue to water organised leaders’ gardens with monthly tithes set at 10 percent of one’s salary.
Meanwhile, Makandiwa and Angel’s mega-churches have transformed into corporations to an extent that they now have their own broadcasting facilities, TV stations and public relation machines.
Out of their fervent sermons and magnetic personalities, these two gentlemen have transformed Pentecostal movements into one of the country’s fastest-growing evangelical congregations in Zimbabwe.
However, the skyrocketing charge of prosperity gospel clubs comes against a rise in income and wealth disparities in the country, and where scores of people are desperate for get-rich-quick solutions.
Prophet Uebert Angel Senior, a son to Mr and Mrs S K Mudzanire, was born on 6 September 1978. He spent the greater part of the recent years in Manchester, United Kingdom and he is well known in UK as Pastor UebertMudzanire.
He is married to Beverly Angel Mudzanire, a daughter to Mr and Mrs Noah Madzudzo. Prophet Uebert and Prophetess Beverly are happily married and have four children.
The man of God, is a pastor, prophet, church founder, and general overseer of Spirit Embassy Ministries. His name has become synonymous with miracles, signs, wonders and accurate prophecies. His prophetic gifting often reveals people’s names, addresses and some pertinent information on the lives of members of the community, He launched Spirit Embassy Ministries on 12 March 2007 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
The Zimbabwean-born prophet, who had once relocated to the United Kingdom subsequently returned to the country of his origin and has set up the headquarters of his church Spirit Embassy in Harare. He arrived at the Harare International Airport on Saturday 12 March 2011, and he said he was called by God to come and preach, perform miracles and heal people.
Prophet Uebert Angel Mudzanire's Profile (biography)- Founder of Spirit Embassy International
Prophet Angel is a very close friend of Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa and also Prophet Victor K Boateng of Ghana who happens to be his Spiritual Father. The three also organised a Conference which took place on 21 to 30 October 2011 under the theme "Breaking the Cycle of Negativities".
Prophet Angel is said to have accurately predicted the death of the the first President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, off the coast of Papua New Guinea Joseph Kabui, as well as aircrashes in Sudan and Spain and other events, such as football results.
He also prophesied the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Prophet Uebert is married to Beverly Angel who is also the co-founder and Vice President and overseer of Spirit Embassy churches around the world. The anointed couple is blessed with four children.
The Man of God says he has been visited by angels for about 50 times (probably that's why his surname then changed to Angel from Mudzanire).
"It was in 2005 that I was taken yonder; beyond the curtain of time by the power of the Holy Spirit into a certain place in that glorious estate of heaven. The surroundings were charged with a feeling of youth and vibrancy and no diamond is as rare, as beautiful, as glittering or as costly as realising you have been translated beyond time into that place prepared for those that are really born again, heaven. I can not even begin to explain what I saw without a tear or two on my face. There is beauty there. There was no tree out of line; all were trimmed to perfection, no fruit on the ground and no leaf, no twig on the ground, anywhere. There is green like I have never seen green before, white like I have never seen it before, red like I have never seen red before. Just describing it sends goose bumps running all over me," says Prophet Uebert Angel as he was quoted on one of his blogs describing how saw heaven.
Prophet Uebert Angel Mudzanire's Profile (biography)- Founder of Spirit Embassy International
"Prophet Uebert Mudzanire isn't your garden variety prophet. He and his wife, Beverly, are originally from Zimbabwe, Africa. At the near tender age of 30 he has had over 50 angelic visitations, has seen the Lord 6 times, and was caught up into paradise once. He ministers with an authority of a seasoned prophet twice his age. His awareness and sensitivity to the spirit realm is contagious!" says Pastor Eddie Roggers. During the time that Prophet Angel and his wife Prophetess Beverly Angel were in Britain, they often had conferences with Pastor Eddie Roggers, founder of Revival in Power Ministries, who is still their close friend.
In March, 2011, Prophet Uebert Angel, dismissed claims by some sections of society that his prophecies and miracles are stage-managed or founded on some hidden ungodly spirits.
"I use the power of the Holy Spirit to help the needy and critics of his work are just doubting Thomases and are free to make their own assessments," Prophet Angel said.
In August 2011, Prophet Uebert Angel and his Spirit Embassy Ministries launched Zimbabwe’s second Christian Television Network, called Miracle TV, to reach out to the thousands of Christian faithful throughout Africa and beyond. The free-to-air Miracle TV is broadcasting on satellite 24 hours every day on frequency rate 26657/1/2.
Miracle TV offers miracle services, healing sermons and testimonies. However, some fans have complained on the Miracle TV Facebook fan page that there are too many repeats on the channel. the television Channel becomes the second Zimbabwean Gospel TV channel after the Zambian-based Ezekiel TV which is owned by ZAOGA founder, Apostle Ezekiel Guti.
Spirit Embassy which has over 5,000 followers mostly conducts its church services from the Harare International Conference Centre. The Church was founded by Prophet Angel in 2007. It has 20 branches worldwide including churches in South Africa, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
Forbes Africa Magazine Profile
The BBC calls him young and charismatic. Uebert Angel is an enigma who has private audiences with heads of state, parliamentarians, philanthropists, billionaires and once the late world icon, Nelson Mandela.
Business analysts have argued that his unlimited access to world leaders and leading businessmen has given Angel an advantage over his peers in the real estate business.
Regardless of this, Angel, after close investigation, is one of the thousands of successful entrepreneurs across Africa who are creating million-dollar fortunes. These entrepreneurs do not inherit wealth; they earn it.
The prophet, a former finance lecturer and financier by profession, has two degrees from the Salford University in Britain. He has business experience and qualifications.
He also obtained a postgraduate degree at Bolton in Manchester and has a pending Masters’ degree in applied philosophy from the University of Wales in Cardiff.
His eye for the finer things in life facilitated his business acumen. In 2005, Angel established Club Millionaire, a concierge establishment providing services to the cash-rich but time-poor individuals around the globe.
Angel timed the launch of his business well. He set up his company long before the concierge boom flooded the industry in 2102 to secure his fortune. He then ventured into real estate, starting with residential and then moving into developing commercial properties.
His real estate construction companies traded under various holdings and trusts in Europe, Africa and Asia.
He then forayed into building a noteworthy media empire, with secular and lifestyle television channels and a Christian charitable record label that owns the rights to the music of multi-award winning artists like Sonnie Badu.
Aside from Africa, some of Angel’s companies are registered in Europe and Hong Kong. Hong Kong is favourable due to investments not being taxed in the region.
The corporate profits rate is 16,5 percent, there is no capital gains tax and no accumulated earnings taxes on companies that retain earnings rather than distribute them.
Angel is reputed to have such a keen business sense and entrepreneurial skill that he is able to start small companies and grow them. He then sells them and invests the money in real estate and other projects.
In February, he bought Great Hampton Limited in Britain, a company with 30 000 square feet of choice real estate as its chief asset.
The structure, which is close to the Birmingham University School of Law, is said to be valued at around $2 million and will be worth more after the renovations and improvements he is putting in place.
The Zimbabwe-born British national, who is also the bestselling author of Healing is Easy and a sought-after conference speaker, was voted the most influential Zimbabwean last year and won the Newsmaker Award in the same year.
He is also a Peace Ambassadorial Award recipient.
His fame is huge and his contacts impressive. He has presidents and the rich in his speed dial.
There is a lot more to Angel than just business. He is a strong believer in the Giving Pledge initiative, founded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, which encourages wealthy people to donate at least half of their money to charity.
The Giving Pledge has so far persuaded more than a hundred billionaires to give the majority of their wealth to charities. South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe is on that list.
While Angel is not in their league, he has engaged in philanthropic endeavours which have not gone unnoticed.
Last year, after a donation of $1,4 million was given to him by friends and well-wishers for his birthday, he donated all of it to charity.
Using his own resources, Angel is also building houses for the poor and helping parents pay school fees in what he and his wife, Beverly, the patron of Hand of Mercy (Home) have called Adopt a School-Adopt A Child programme. Hand of Mercy intends to help at least 100 000 people by 2017, a feat he says is possible if they concentrate on community development rather than individuals.
While Angel has a lot of business interests, there is another side to him that has attracted the world’s attention.
He is a staunch believer in Christ and claims to have the gift of prophecy. Some argue that his businesses and his contacts have grown primarily because of this.
Others stress that he is the darling of the masses because he helps the less-fortunate. Angel returned to Africa from Britain while his business empire was at its peak, to help develop the continent.
Such is his influence in Africa that when he moved back to Zimbabwe, the Christian organisation he started, Spirit Embassy grew from 12 to 5 000 people in four weeks and is now approaching the 10 000 mark.
His business adventures have slowed down since the media latched onto his uncanny ability to predict events.
He has given accurate prophecies about the deaths of Michael Jackson and former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the Kenya Mall massacre among many world events.
His predictions include the date and time, even a year before they occur, putting him on the forefront of the prophetic movement in southern Africa.
Last year, media reports claimed Angel was worth $60 million, a figure he denies. His wife backs him up on this subject.
Beverly, a former finance lecturer, exudes humility. She is intelligent, but an individual of few words. When asked about her husband, she will only talk about their charitable initiatives.
“Whatever you find or see is already committed to our very own giving pledge initiative, so, come to think of it, what do we really own if it is all for philanthropy. Zero is the answer!”
Angel’s success is clear but there is still a lot about him that is shrouded in mystery. — Forbes Africa
Labels: Spirit Embassy Church Prophet Uebert Angel, Uebert Angel Millionaire, Uebert Angel Mudzanire Millionaire cars, Uebert Angel Mudzanire Millionaire preacher biography, Zimbabwe Spirit Embassy
