In a swift response to the government’s heightened cholera alert following recent heavy rains and flooding, influential apostolic sect leader Madzibaba Enock of Johane Mazowe Chishanu Nyenyedzi Nomwe has launched an intensive health education crusade targeting thousands of his followers nationwide.
The charismatic leader, born Herbert Senda, is marshalling his church’s network particularly women to become frontline defenders against the waterborne disease, framing public hygiene as a spiritual imperative and a cornerstone for achieving a healthy nation under Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2).
“This is not just a government alert; it is a divine warning,” Madzibaba Enock declared during a packed gathering in Budiriro.
“We cannot preach salvation while ignoring the filth that breeds sickness. A clean home is the first chapel, and a healthy body is the first temple.”
His campaign, unprecedented in scope for a religious leader, directly addresses the sect’s practices and vulnerabilities. He has issued blunt, practical directives.
“I have instructed our women, the pillars of our households, to be generals in this war,” he stated.
“Boil all water. Shield our food from flies. Let our white garments be a symbol of purity in our surroundings, not just in our hearts. This is our worship now.”
Recognising the grave risk to children, the church has begun producing and distributing oral rehydration solution (ORS) packs to member families.
“Our children are the seedlings of our future. We must guard them,” Madzibaba Enock said, holding an ORS sachet aloft during a sermon.
“Every mother in our faith will have these salts. To lose a child to cholera when prevention is in our hands is a sorrow we must avoid.”
The leader explicitly tied the effort to national goals.
“Vision 2030 is built on a healthy, productive nation. We, as a church, are part of that foundation. By conquering cholera in our communities, we are building Zimbabwe with our own hands.”
Beyond the immediate health crisis, Madzibaba Enock is also advancing a major church housing cooperative initiative, aimed at relocating members from overcrowded, service-less settlements to planned communities with proper sanitation—a long-term strategy to reduce disease risk.
Public health experts have welcomed the intervention.
“When respected community leaders amplify our messages, it has a tremendous multiplier effect. This is exactly the kind of partnership we need,” said a senior Health Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
As the rains continue, Madzibaba Enock’s sect is mobilising—turning prayer into palpable action in the fight against a deadly outbreak.
