Penuel Mnguni’s snake-eating and “miracle” practices

Record summary

Penuel Mnguni, leader of End Times Disciples Ministries, became internationally known after reports that congregants were encouraged to handle or consume live animals and other unusual substances. The episodes were presented by supporters as demonstrations of prophetic authority and by critics as dangerous spectacle, coercion, or fraud. Animal-protection authorities and South African news outlets documented parts of the controversy, although online retellings often merge separate incidents. The lead is useful for comparing charismatic authority, publicity, and claims of supernatural protection in contemporary Pentecostal settings.