BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MANZINI – Even though COVID-19 lockdowns have partially destabilized church operations in
the country, Reverend Zachariah Mthethwa has assured that it is only the church that can provide
prophetic solutions for the kingdom of Eswatini.
Mthethwa, the Director of VOC FM, said the church, in society, is the strongest organization that
cannot be stopped or be halted by any kind of pandemic and turmoil. According to Mthethwa, it
was time that the church must rise up and become a prophetic voice into the situation for
COVID-19 and other challenges.
He said as long as the church has not been raptured, hope and peace will remain to prevail on
earth.
Mthethwa – the founding pastor of God is at work, said COVID-19 is spiritual and operates
above governments understanding of pandemics. He said COVID-19 could only be best tackled
spiritually where Christians need to trace its origin. He said the pandemic projects itself as a
spirit of death that would be conquered. He said it is high time spiritual people rise up and
confront the spirit of death in a spiritual platform. The clergy man said Emaswati can take a jab
of the vaccine; it was fine but should not stop seeking God’s intervention and wisdom. Mthethwa
advised government to seek advice from the church about what the future holds and way
forward.
“The church has what we call scatology. The only institution that understands scatology is the
church. Government cannot understand what scatology is. Scatology is the doctrine and the study
of the things in the future, where this world is going as revealed by the bible. It is the duty of the
church to rise up and tell the world what the book of Daniel says and what is contained in the
book of Revelation and what Thessalonica 5 says about the future,” he said.
He continued: “The bible states that there will be time for lawlessness. What is happening now is
not a taboo that should shock us. We know as a church that the spirit of the antichrist will prevail
on earth and torture and torment human beings which will be signs of the second coming of
Jesus Christ on earth,”
He said the duty of the church now is to spread the gospel, while winning souls for Jesus Christ
and assuring hope to nations. He said as long as Jesus has not come back for rapture, anarchy
will not show its ugly head. He said the day Christians will be raptured; all hell will break loose
on earth.
Releasing a prophetic word for the Kingdom of Eswatini, the clergyman referred to a verse in
Mathew 16 where Jesus asked his disciple whom did people said he was. Mthethwa stated that
after giving various answers, Jesus then transfer the question to them.
“Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but
by my Father in heaven.
Jesus pronounced a blessing upon Peter and proclaimed Peter’s answer as having been derived by
divine inspiration. He then stated, “And I say also unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18)
Mthethwa explained that it was for this statement from Jesus that the church will remain the
strongest pillar that will not be defeated by the evil.
Eswatini Positive News team conducted a one on one interview with Mthethwa to recognize his
effort in the role he has played in the Christian fraternity and winning souls for Jesus Christ.
Following is what he shared with EPN team:
EPN Team: Good morning Man of God. Can you share with us about your background?
Mthethwa: Thank you for this platform. My background is very straight forward. I am
Zachariah Mthethwa, a grandson of Indvuna Mandanda Mthethwa. My father is still alive and he
is the acting Chief of Maliyaduma. I was raised like any other child. I did my primary school at
Maliyaduma then did my high school at Sibusisweni. I am from a Zionist family with my father
being a Zionist priest and I was a secretary of the church. When I completed school, I enroll at
William Pitcher for a Diploma in Teaching, specializing on Maths and Science. EPN Team: Tell us about your life at William Pitcher?
Mthethwa; This is where my Christian journey began. On the first day I arrived at the college, I
found that there were revivals hosted by Reverend Nicholas Nyawo from Evangelical Church
and I decided to attend. Nyawo kept preaching about I Corinthian 15: 17 for the whole week of
the revival and in the process I responded to the alter call. However, on the last day of the
revival, on a Saturday night, I had visitation in form of a dream. I saw two tunnels, one with a
dark end and the other one with light. While I was still looking, I heard a voice saying I am God
and I am calling you. The voice told me that I was in the dark tunnel hence the calling will direct
me to the light. I got overwhelmed by the spirit that I stood up, rolled in the ground and fell on
the ground again. Since we were sharing a room with other four students, they woke up and
observe what was happening. God spoke to me and said in my left hand and the right there was
souls that I needed to win for him. He then instructed me that when I woke up in the morning I
should go straight to the media centre where I should start preaching the gospel. In the morning I
went straight to the station and found Pastor Richard Dlamini, the chairperson of the centre. I
found him recording services. He, without any hassle, gave me a 5-minute slot for a whole week.
I also awarded another slot because of the power of God that was working in me.
EPN Team: Growing as a Zionist, what then happened back at home to your church”
Mthethwa: When I went back home, i told my father I have found another church in Matsapha
which is perfect and would grow there. My father told me that the path I have taken was too
much for him.
EPN Team: What happened at tertiary?
Mthethwa: After completing I got employed as a teacher but later went to Luyengo where I
furthered my studies and elevated my teaching diploma into a degree. I then enrolled at the
Unirvesity of Zimbabwe where I did my Master Degree in Teaching. After 10 years of teaching I
quit teaching and went to bible school where I pursued a degree in thelogy. When I completed
my degree in theology I joined the Limkokwing University where I became the first Liswati
director. From 2011 to 2013 we were admitting students and also employing lecturers.
EPN Team: What was the stage after leaving Limkokwing University?
Mthethwa: As part of God’s plan using the education that I had accumulated, I then joined the
media which is VOC. Since I had also grown I left AEC to start God at Work church. I have
been teaching and training pastors as part of the ministry.
Being at VOC, I have also started a programme called God at Work that has gain huge
following. The concept is that since we were established through foundation with evidence that
God is working in our lives.
