Presidential candidate Prophet Mbewe proposes creation of govt ministry to regulate religious activities

Presidential aspirant and leader of the newly registered Liberation for Economic Freedom, Prophet David Mbewe, has proposed that the government should create a fully-fledged ministry to regulate activities and affairs of religion in Malawi.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Mbewe argued that a Presidential Advisor on Religious Affairs is not enough to deal with the chaos and lawlessness in the faith sector.

His proposal follows reports that a 74-year-old prophetess, Jessie Window, is in police custody in Chiradzulu for allegedly masterminded the wounding of an elderly man with disabilities in an attempt to straighten his legs after being prayed for healing.

Mbewe expressed dismay and displeasure with the chaos reigning highly in the faith sector, adding that this does not augur well with the teachings of the various religions.

“It’s against this background that I am proposing that the government should consider creating a full government ministry to regulate the activities of religious groupings. Religious groupings should act within the law. But this can only be possible if there is a government ministry to provide civic education to religious leaders,” he said.

Mbewe vowed that if given the mantle in the 2025 General Elections, his administration will strive to bring sanity in the religion sector.

“Bringing sanity in the religion sector will be one of the priorities of my government because I have observed that some faith leaders are deliberately misleading their followers. This must be put to a stop,” he said.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Police South East Region, Edward Kabango, has disclosed that the arrested prophetess was picked up from Chiradzulu district hospital last night, where she was cheering on the victim, who is currently admitted to the hospital.

Kabango said the incident happened earlier last week when Window went to the victim’s Mangilani village, Traditional Authority Ntchema in the district, for some overnight prayers.