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Amos Mpofu, [email protected]
THE faithfulness of Mdala Faith Dube, a 70-year-old man from Nyamandlovu, a peri-urban area near Bulawayo, is a testimony to the power of tithing and offerings. Dube, a man of unwavering principles who has never held a formal job, dedicates his life to serving God and fostering a strong relationship with Him.

Dube’s story is one of inspiration and transformation. Despite never being employed, he has achieved remarkable prosperity. He currently owns 68 cattle, with 36 missing but not forgotten. In recent years, his herd numbered around 200, allowing him to fund his children’s college education.

Sharing his journey with Saturday Chronicle, Dube recounts how he and his wife began small in their early marriage. After faithfully tithing 10 percent of their income and giving offerings to the church, they would save the remaining profits from their sweets sales.

These accumulated savings, along with help from his father to purchase two heifers, marked the beginning of their flourishing cattle herd.

“I married my wife, Ethel Sihle Moyo-Dube, while she was working in the city of Bulawayo. Upon our marriage, she left her job, vowing to stand by me even though I was unemployed ‘ngingumatshayinyoka’.

Part of Mdala Faith Dube’s herd

She promised to share in both joy and hardship, to eat and sleep where I did. Despite our challenges, she refused to return to work, remaining committed to our oath. Life was hard, but prayer sustained us.

“We began with subsistence farming and later sold sweets, saving our profits and faithfully returning ten percent as tithe. Eventually, our savings allowed us to buy two heifers, thanks to my father’s support. We never expected to afford two, but rather just one,” he said.

He witnessed God’s hand in their lives when one of their heifers gave birth to female calves ten times in a row.
“Unfortunately, one of our heifers died without producing a calf for us.

However, God’s hand was evident in the heifer that remained with us. He blessed it abundantly; it gave birth annually for ten years, and remarkably, all the calves were female and survived. We praised God deeply for His blessings,” he narrated.

Dube expressed his willingness to work as diligently as others, but he believed that God diverted opportunities away from him to showcase His divine intervention.

“Despite my qualifications, holding a Standard 6 certificate, getting a job consistently eluded me. Opportunities would vanish inexplicably at the final hurdle. I once had a sure shot at becoming a manager at Sugar Refineries, but the chance slipped through my fingers with empty excuses.

“A similar story unfolded at Wankie Mine — I came back empty-handed while others secured employment. Back then, God’s plan for me remained a mystery. Eventually, I gave up on job hunting and channelled my energy into growing tomatoes, which marked the beginning of my agricultural pursuits.”

Their family’s collaborative touch turned everything they did into gold. “Selling farm produce was profitable for us. Our products were mostly sold quickly due to competitive pricing and high quality. We sold pumpkins, tomatoes, and various other crops to educate our children and to add our cattle herd,” said.

The Dubes’ fortunes significantly improved when they struck a deal with a local white farmer. The farmer offered heifers in exchange for oxen, and the Dubes capitalised on this opportunity to acquire breeding stock, laying the foundation for their flourishing cattle herd.

“God’s faithfulness is unwavering,” Dube declared. “We’ve faithfully tithed according to Malachi 3, and He continues to bless us.

A turning point came when we traded our seven Brahman oxen with a white farmer offering heifers in exchange. Despite waiting all day while others were served before me, the farmer surprised me with an incredible offer; three heifers for each ox, totalling 21! It was a profound experience of God’s power. The heifers started breeding that very year, ushering in a season of abundant blessings.”

Dube’s wife’s entrepreneurial spirit further bolstered their success. Her milk sales in Bulawayo and Tsholotsho, according to him, yielded profits exceeding double a teacher’s monthly salary.

This dedication ensured their family’s well-being. Despite times of scarcity, his five biological children and five raised from his late brothers never went hungry or lacked proper clothing. All ten children completed higher education, following the path of faith instilled by Dube.

He proudly mentioned that some are now professionals, while others have built families through marriage. Witnessing this prosperity, Dube recognised his past struggles as a divine nudge towards a life devoted to God.

“Many Seventh-Day Adventist churches here in Matabeleland stand as testaments to my contributions,” Dube asserted with conviction.

“My faith was truly fortified when we left our farm unattended for two weeks during a church event, even though elephants were wreaking havoc in the area. Miraculously, upon our return, our fields remained untouched, while guarded fields of others lay destroyed. This experience solidified my belief that faith in God is the key to a life free from worry.”

Dube recounted harrowing encounters, attributing his survival to divine intervention. He emerged unscathed from a brush with lions and lived to tell the tale of an elephant attack.

“Divine intervention saved me from a terrifying encounter with five lions,” Dube recounted with unwavering faith.
“Cornered while protecting my cow, I clung to my faith, reciting ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’

Miraculously, the lions stopped just meters away, roared, and retreated. “This experience solidified my trust in God’s power. Another close call came when an elephant blocked my path. By throwing a branch, I narrowly escaped its grasp.

The elephant’s trunk almost reached me, but God delivered me. I am forever grateful for His protection,” he said.
Dube’s unwavering faith was evident in his constant pronouncements of God’s immutability and wonder. He firmly believed that faith and service to God were the cornerstones of a life free from worry.