There was shock on Saturday when Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi backed Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader, Walter Magaya who has been exposed for using his naked manhood on a university student.

Magaya has admitted inserting his flesh into his latest victim Petronella Donhodzo the latter who confesses her fears of contracting the deadly AIDS virus. So disturbing has the matter been that even President Robert Mugabe himself ordered Magaya’s arrest last year.

But Minister Mzembi in an official government speech said Magaya is only being attacked from hell, somewhat likening President Robert Mugabe with Satan.

Mzembi said Magaya needs to be strong in the wake of his brush with the law recently, saying his “heavenly mission” could not be stopped by men of flesh.

Mzembi said this on Saturday while commissioning a multi-million-dollar prayer mountain, a state-of-the-art building constructed at a mountainous area in Prospect, Waterfalls in Harare to be a sanctuary for praying, reflecting and meditating worshippers, the state media reports.

Addressing thousands of PHD partners who had gathered to witness the commissioning, Dr Mzembi, who often quoted biblical scriptures, said he was convinced that Prophet Magaya’s work was God-ordained.

“And today, I strengthened him a bit. I am aware of the persecution.

“I said to Prophet Magaya, any vision worthy of heavens, will receive an attack from hell, be strong. If you want to possess Canaan as Joshua was instructed to do, after 40 years of meandering in a very small geographical location, which I am now familiar with through my travel, Joshua was given a task to cross to Canaan. There is only one instruction he was given and it was repeated many times to him, ‘be strong and courageous’. Prophet Walter Magaya, be strong and courageous,” said Minister Mzembi to a wild applause.

He said being human, at times, everyone was prone to err.

“We are all fallible, otherwise he (Jesus) would not have come from heaven itself to come and live in flesh. He is the only one who conquered sin, the only one. The rest of us all falter, stand up, fall, but we must look at the crown at the end of our race and that crown is what we must possess at the end of the day,” said Minister Mzembi.

Prophet Magaya was arraigned before a magistrate court charged with allegations of raping a university student who was one of his followers.

His case has since been referred to the Constitutional Court for determination on whether the State could proceed to trial given that the complainant had written an affidavit withdrawing the case saying she had misled authorities.

Minister Mzembi commended PHD Ministries for promoting tourism growth thereby contributing to the Gross Domestic Product through construction of a hotel with several executive rooms and presidential suites.

“I am told every other day, there are 1 800 tourists visiting PHD.

“That is what PHD symbolises to us in Government. That temple, that nectar which attracts foreigners. May I prophesy just a little bit. Zimbabwe will not be turned around by any other pillar of the economy except tourism. Tourism is the one that has been ordained by God to be the painkiller of this economy. That is why foreigners visit us, they visit us for spiritual healing from the man of God here and as they do so, they plant their wealth in our land,” said Minister Mzembi.

He commended Prophet Magaya for turning the area into a productive one as it used to be a sanctuary for Rhodesian forces before independence.

“This place, I saw it when it was barren. This place, many of us know it from history, as politicians as a sanctuary of the Rhodesian Front, the security forces. Today, it has been turned by Prophet Magaya into a sanctuary of God.

“Turning adversity into opportunity, using a man of God, whose mission can not be stopped by flesh,” he said.

Prophet Magaya said the place was not just for PHD Ministry members, but was free to any person from any denomination who wanted to pray.

The event was attended by Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister Nyasha Chikwinya, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Deputy Minister Anastancia Ndlovu and several legislators. – state media