Deported Zimbabwean priest, Edmore Chaka, is suspected to have used his church, Abundant Life Ministries, in a racket to rob HIV Batswana of their ARV medication and sell it on Zimbabwe black market.
Police started investigating Chaka after a number of his followers who were HIV positive died after he told them to surrender their ARV drugs to him and, instead, use the suspicious concoction that he sold to them. It has not been established where Chaka took the ARV drugs that his followers surrendered. It is, however, suspected that he sold them in the Zimbabwe black-market where they are on high demand. The Voice of America last week quoted a World Health Organization doctor who revealed that there is an upsurge of illegal ARVs in Zimbabwe coming from Botswana where they are sourced cheaply. In Zimbabwe, ARVs are very expensive and the food crisis has worsened the plight of people living with the deadly virus, the leading doctor told Radio VOP in an interview. While Botswana has invested millions of Pula in its ARV programme, estimates are that there are now more than three million people in Zimbabwe living with HIV and AIDS and about 12 people dying every 10 minutes because of lack of anti-retroviral drugs.
It is understood that Chaka also used the money donated by his congregation to support his expensive lifestyle. Police officers investigating him found that he had cleaned up the church bank account, bought an expensive Mercedes Benz and built two mansions in Zimbabwe.
Chaka also preached against the use of condoms, frustrating the government AIDS “ABC” prevention campaign.
Government spokesperson, Jeff Ramsay, confirmed Chaka’s deportation, but would not disclose details.
