By The Harare Times
HARARE – Controversial Spirit Embassy founder Uebert Angel allegedly staged an assassination scare to create an excuse to flee Zimbabwe after police summoned him for questioning over rape and drug trafficking allegations, The Harare Times can exclusively reveal.
Angel left the country in the early hours of Saturday, claiming he was escaping a security threat, before resurfacing in Nigeria on Sunday at the church of prominent televangelist Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.
The controversial preacher claimed he had survived two assassination attempts on Wednesday and Thursday, including an alleged ambush on his motorcade by vehicles without number plates and a shooting incident at his residence in the affluent Harare suburb of Shawasha Hills.
However, sources within Angel’s inner circle told The Harare Times that the alleged security scares were fabricated to provide cover for his departure and portray him as a target of supporters of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, potentially winning sympathy from President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his allies.
According to the sources, Angel was attempting to exploit the alleged threats to strengthen his standing with the President while escaping mounting pressure from police investigators.
Police had reportedly contacted him for interviews in connection with rape allegations, with sources claiming that investigations into the complaints had been underway for some time.
The sources further alleged that dockets relating to the complaints had previously been suppressed by his ally, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) boss Chrispen Charumbira.
Those dockets were subsequently forwarded to Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba’s office, where Angel was allegedly attempting to secure their closure through a bribe.
Angel’s reported fallout with Mutamba followed the police chief’s alleged refusal to facilitate the closure of the cases, despite sustained efforts involving the late businessman Wicknell Chivhayo.
In an earlier report, local news outlet Takabatana Daily revealed that Angel was allegedly plotting Mutamba’s removal after the police chief reportedly refused to sign off on the dockets.
For years, Angel has faced rape allegations in the United Kingdom and South Africa, where he has reportedly encountered difficulties travelling, while Zimbabwean police have also faced accusations of failing to act on sexual offence complaints against him.
Sources further alleged that Charumbira had shielded the preacher and frustrated investigations into complaints lodged against him.
Angel reportedly enlisted Chivhayo to negotiate with Mutamba, but the businessman died before the matter could be resolved.
Following Chivhayo’s death, Angel allegedly dispatched one Rashamira, a friend of the police chief, to intervene, although the efforts reportedly yielded no breakthrough.
The sources said Angel became convinced that Mutamba was refusing to assist him because the police chief was aligned with Chiwenga’s faction in Zanu PF.
He reportedly began plotting to approach President Mnangagwa’s twin sons, Sean and Collins, in an attempt to persuade their father to remove the police chief, whom he allegedly accused of sympathising with the Vice-President.
Before his death, Chivhayo had also reportedly spearheaded efforts to lobby Mnangagwa to appoint Angel Minister of Religious Affairs.
Angel’s alleged efforts to have Mutamba removed came amid growing tensions surrounding his public pronouncements about Chiwenga.
The preacher had previously prophesied that the Vice-President would die during the first week of August and was accused of seeking the services of Ghanaian traditional healers to harm him.
He also reportedly listed Chiwenga among 10 people he was praying would die at his shrine, Paran, in Mahusekwa, south of Harare.
However, Angel later delivered a sermon warning people against insulting Chiwenga, a development that reportedly surprised some of his associates, who believed he was attempting to soften Mutamba’s position.
That sermon attracted criticism from former Norton independent legislator Temba Mliswa, who called for Angel’s arrest over the rape allegations.
A source close to the preacher said Mliswa’s intervention heightened Angel’s fears, as he allegedly interpreted it as part of a broader campaign against him.
Two days after Mliswa publicly called for his arrest, police reportedly contacted Angel about investigations into rape and drug trafficking allegations linked to his Hippodrome church building.
Sources said Angel spent much of Friday last week attempting to engage police authorities in a bid to have the investigations dropped.
Pressure reportedly mounted further after a news article emerged alleging that Angel was plotting to have Mutamba removed by framing him as having solicited a bribe to close the preacher’s cases.
One of Angel’s assistants described the panic that allegedly followed the publication.
“When the article about his attempts to get the CG sacked came out, Angel tried to call the Commissioner-General, who did not pick his calls.
“He also called one of CG Mutamba’s deputies, but when that call went unanswered as well, he sensed danger and then planned to fake an assassination plot to create justification for leaving the country.
“He skipped the country to avoid arrest and buy time to send emissaries to engage the police and make peace with CG Mutamba.
“He has approached several people and is hoping to get more assistance from Scott Sakupwanya,” the assistant said.
Angel has also faced sexual misconduct allegations from several individuals, including people associated with his church. Among those who have publicly made allegations against him are rapper Holy Ten, a UK-based Mozambican woman and Zambian clergyman Apostle Ashton Wamalwa.
Meanwhile, the preacher has allegedly launched a social media campaign targeting Mliswa, with sources claiming he is paying women to present themselves as former girlfriends of the former legislator and publish damaging claims about him.
A source familiar with the alleged campaign said significant financial resources had been deployed to discredit Mliswa.
“Angel has pumped a lot of money to smear Mliswa.
“One woman has come out and more will come. Angel has put in some money to try and discredit Mliswa,” the source said.
The allegations could not be independently verified. Angel’s response to the claims was not included in the information supplied for this report.
