By Edgar Kelvin Ng’ambi
PROPHET UEBERT ANGEL WAS SIMPLY DISRESPECTFUL TO MICHAEL USI
Former Vice President Michael Usi and Prophet Shepherd Bushiri are friends. This is not a secret. Their relationship goes far. So when Usi performed a comedy act alongside Bon Kalindo at Bushiri’s birthday celebration, he did so as a friend. Comedy has always been part of who he is. He did not go there as a politician. He went there as a guest, a brother and a friend.
However, friendship has boundaries. And when other people take advantage of that friendship to cross the line, it stops being harmless fun and becomes plain disrespect.
That is exactly what happened when Zimbabwean prophet Uebert Angel chose that private birthday celebration to deliver what sounded like a political prophecy about Michael Usi’s future. Telling a guest at a birthday party that he can never win the 2030 election and that his only chance is to support another candidate was not prophecy. It was unnecessary and inappropriate.
The issue here is not whether Dr Usi can or cannot win an election. That is a matter for Malawians to decide. The real problem is that a visiting religious figure turned a social gathering into a political platform without invitation.
Michael Usi did not attend a prophetic service. He did not request a prophecy. He was not at a church crusade. He was at a birthday party.
This raises an important question: who exactly did Angel have in mind when he said Usi should support someone else? Was he implying support for his host? If so, that makes the matter even more troubling because it blurs the line between religion, friendship and political ambition.
And let us be clear. If someone were to stand up today and declare that Bushiri himself can never win the presidency of Malawi, many would rightly call that offensive and inappropriate. Respect must go both ways.
Malawian politics is not a playground for visiting prophets. Outsiders have no moral authority to dictate the political future of this country. Elections are decided by citizens, not by declarations made at private parties.
At the very least, Angel’s remarks showed poor judgment. At worst, they were disrespectful to a former Vice President and to Malawians who believe their democracy should not be shaped by external voices.
In a democratic society, prophecy should never replace the will of the people.