United Family International Church leader Emmanuel Makandiwa yesterday became the latest evangelical Christian leader to endorse vaccination against Covid-19 and urged his followers to get vaccinated, saying there were no theological grounds to forgo the protection.
This comes after he was blasted by Prophet Chiwenga over allegations that he made a few months ago, telling Zimbabweans not to get vaccinated because he claimed that the vaccine had the mark of the beast.
Prophet Makandiwa vowed to be imprisoned together with his family rather than taking the vaccine.
Meanwhile, The Herald reports that he changed his statement encouraging people to get vaccinated.
“There is no mark in the vaccine. Christians are afraid, fearing for their lives and trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from receiving the mark of the beast by receiving the vaccine. This is Covid-19 vaccine not the mark of the beast.”
“How many times did I say don’t rush, don’t be the first, let them have it first. If I am saying don’t be the first, I am saying be the last or second. Why should you be the first when it’s not your creation.
If you don’t get vaccinated) you do not get into the shop, you do not work there, you do not buy, you do not sell, you are not admitted in any hospital, your children are not allowed in schools. So it’s not just losing your job, you have lost your entire freedom. You are no longer existent as a human being. You are no longer considered; you are not there because of one thing, vaccine.”
Makandiwa said it was better for people to get vaccinated than to be vaccinated after losing their jobs.
Why lose your job, yet you can be vaccinated right now and keep your job, look after your family especially now that you know it is not the mark of the beast,” he said.
“What do you lose by getting vaccinated?” he said.
Makandiwa said he had been vaccinated before and he believes in vaccines and supports them.
