United Family International Church leader Emmanuel Makandiwa has said Wicknell and his wife, Lucy Muteke “knew their time to be taken”, claiming the couple had been in a hurry to complete their charitable work before their deaths in an aircraft accident.

In a condolence message issued on behalf of UFI Church and his family, Makandiwa said the couple had wanted their departure to come while they were “at their best”, adding that their efforts to give and help others had been intended to be completed before their deaths.

He said the couple had been “in a rush to give” and had “saved the best for last”, without providing details of what he said they knew about the timing of their deaths.

The statement has since triggered sharply different reactions online, with some people interpreting Makandiwa's remarks as evidence that the couple had received prior spiritual knowledge of their deaths, while others questioned his previous claims about prophetic knowledge.

Makandiwa also addressed speculation over whether he had foreseen the accident, saying he had never claimed to see everything.

“As for the question of whether I saw the accident prophetically before time or not as some may wonder; that, to me, was rendered unimportant when I stated in time past my inability to see everything,” he said.

“I reiterate that I have never seen everything, I don't see everything, and I won't see everything, only God does.”

Makandiwa said he had spent time with the couple at their home, including a supper and private discussions, but said the purpose of those discussions remained confidential.

“I thank God that we had time together at their house where we had supper and private discussions in that and previous other meetings whose purposes remain confidential,” he said.

His reference to the couple allegedly knowing that their time was approaching became the most debated section of the statement.

Lorraine Nheweyembwa, reacting to the message, said the focus should be on Makandiwa's assertion that the couple knew their time was near.

“Y'all focusing on the wrong part, the important part is THEY KNEW,” she said.

Others were more critical.

Asher Mutandiro dismissed Makandiwa's explanation, writing: “You have never seen anything. We know it's your hustle.”

Social commentator Tawona Shadaya contrasted the latest statement with what he described as an earlier claim by Makandiwa, writing: “Then: ‘I am more gifted than God.’ Now: ‘I can't see everything.’”

Calvin argued that the controversy surrounding the deaths had broader implications for Zimbabwe's prophetic churches, saying: “At some point we have to thank Wicknell for exposing fake prophets.”

Another commentator, Killion Haruhugumi, offered a different interpretation of Makandiwa's statement, saying he believed the prophet had simply communicated information about the couple's departure.

He also interpreted Makandiwa's reference to the couple being “in a hurry to give” as significant, arguing that the statement suggested they had been preparing for their departure.

Makandiwa's condolence message was framed primarily around Christian ideas of death, salvation and eternal life. Quoting Revelation 14:13, he said those who die “in the Lord” were blessed because they rested from their labour and their works followed them.

He further argued that death itself was not the ultimate tragedy for a believer.

“The worst tragedy to all man is not in dying, but not dying in the Lord Jesus,” Makandiwa said.

The contrasting reactions have shifted attention from the deaths themselves to the broader question of prophetic claims, particularly the extent to which religious leaders are expected to foresee major events and whether subsequent statements should be interpreted as evidence of prior knowledge.

Makandiwa, however, explicitly maintained that he does not see everything, reserving that ability for God.

The circumstances surrounding the aircraft accident, including the official findings on its cause and the sequence of events before the crash, remain separate from the religious interpretations being made around Makandiwa's statement.