A charismatic church leader from Khubvi village has provoked outrage following claims that, through his prophetic powers, he can help people achieve things such as winning tenders, reuniting with lost lovers and helping women conceive.
The 30-year-old Zwivhuya Khorommbi, who uses the title bishop, is the founder of the Bethel Zion Apostolic Church operating in the Khubvi area. On Wednesday, 13 May, Khorommbi posted an advert on his Facebook page claiming that, through his prophetic powers, he could heal illnesses, resolve marital problems and even help businesspeople win lucrative tenders.
Khorommbi’s post triggered a backlash, with many accusing him of deceiving people and exploiting the ignorance of his followers to enrich himself. Others, however, appeared to believe the self-proclaimed man of the cloth possesses supernatural powers.
Some Facebook users saw the humorous side of the claims.
“If you want us to believe what you are telling us, you must first register your own company and pray for yourself to get tenders,” commented Phaswana Sai Man.
Another commenter, Nandza wa Xikwembu, wrote: “We are tired of these miracles. Can you please concentrate on teaching us the Word of God and refrain from all these other things?”
Johanna Mashudu and Fhulufhelo Mukwevho appeared supportive of the prophet. Johanna commented: “The most important thing is to believe. Let the Almighty God continue to bless you so that you can help our people.”
Mukwevho wrote: “The devil is misleading people so that they cannot see the good work that this great man of God is doing. We stand with you, our prophet — continue helping our people.”
“I have a direct line to God”
When Limpopo Mirror interviewed Bishop Khorommbi, he insisted that he could do everything claimed in the controversial Facebook post. He said some people had misunderstood the message.
“You need spiritual wisdom when you interpret what is in that poster. As a messenger of God, I can pray to ask God to make everything possible,” he said.
Asked about his claim that he could help people win tenders through prayer, he explained: “There are people who have registered businesses which meet all the requirements for winning tenders, but when they bid, they are always side-lined for no apparent reason. This means that the devil has blocked their successes, and I can ask God to open opportunities for them.”
He added: “I still maintain that everything in the poster is possible through the power of the Almighty God. We know there are other responsibilities for nurses and doctors when it comes to curing diseases. What we do as servants of God is to pray for them so that God can give them powers to treat patients and heal them. We encourage those taking chronic medication to continue doing so. Things like tshipfula are manmade and we can pray to God to give us healing powers.”
(Tshipfula refers to a severe, agonising sore, ulcer or bodily wound traditionally believed to be caused by witchcraft.)
Khorommbi said he would continue preaching the Word of God and saving lives.
“Those who believe will be saved while those who don't will never see the Kingdom of God,” he said.
“Don’t make empty promises in God’s name”
Khorommbi’s conduct was criticised by senior clergymen in the district. Reverend Dr Alunamutwe Rannditsheni of the Vhembe Pastors Forum condemned the claims, saying true Christians do not operate in that manner.
Rannditsheni said such claims were more commonly associated with certain traditional healers. He described them as empty promises aimed at exploiting desperate people.
“In many instances those services are not done freely, but people have to pay a certain amount,” he said.
Facebook offers little protection
What Khorommbi claims on his Facebook page should, in theory, have been removed immediately, as it appears to violate Meta’s community standards policies. The policies explicitly prohibit claims that purport to cure, heal or eliminate diseases and illnesses, and ban content promising specific health-related results without qualifying language or disclaimers.
Claims about winning tenders through supernatural means or removing evil spells could also fall under Meta’s fraud and deceptive practices policies.
In practice, however, Meta struggles to moderate such content effectively, leaving users exposed to charlatans, fraudsters and even sexual predators. This is especially true in markets where the company has limited language expertise and few or no moderators.
Those hoping Facebook itself would intervene are likely to be disappointed.
Facebook’s moderation system is largely reactive rather than preventative. Harmful groups and dangerous content can remain active for months or years before action is taken — often only after journalists or watchdog organisations expose them. Enforcement is also inconsistent: ordinary users may have posts removed for minor infractions, while more serious violations remain online.
Major technology platforms actively monitor and police content in only eight African languages, despite nearly 2,000 languages being spoken across a continent of more than 1.5 billion people. Tshivenda is not among them. As a result, content creators can post harmful material, including misinformation, and still profit from it without consequence.