THUSO TIEGO: Pastor or Impostor?
Permit me to start with the conclusion. The pathology in the opposition thought, is to think that every anti- BDP or anti- Masisi sentiment or course of action, is inherently true, intelligent, rational, justifiable and therefore, likeable.
Without prejudice, I am of the view that our opposition lacks organic political thought and innovation. They have overtime demonstrated neither definitive political shape nor form, needless to mention lack of defined political agenda.
Our opposition has reduced its political relevance to shameless opportunism, scavengery and predatory antics. More often than not, they seek company, confidence and relevance in every opportune ‘ storm in a teacup’. And Thuso Tiego is no different. Before Tiego, there was the Ivermectin controversy, where the UDC wanted Parliament, a political institution, to make a determination on a medical issue. They then quickly abandoned it for another controversy; Khama’s vaccine scam. I do not think scavenging and hijacking sentiments on social media can be a rational political programme or an ideology to pursue. The opposition needs to mature, period. But before I receive death threats and a barrage of insults from ‘ Mafear fokol,’ let me restrict myself to the subject matter.
And then there was Tiego; pardon me; ‘ Reverend’ Thuso Tiego of Thuso Tiego Ministries. A church he came up with, after quitting his priesthood at UCCSA. Just days after announcing on his Facebook page that he will be running “Preachers Course” at an attendance fee of P250.00 per person, Tiego dropped a bomb.
He wanted President Mokgweetsi Masisi to resign within seven days. And then there was furore. The opposition rallied behind him. They touted him, as the ‘ Moses’ of our time. In Tiego, the opposition found the right pawn. And he too, played to the gallery.
He proclaimed himself, ‘ son of man,’ who was ready to sacrifice his life, so that we can “have life, and have life in abundance”. His anti- BDP and anti- Masisi narrative became an obvious cannonfodder for the opposition. As expected, Tiego was exalted in the opposition circles, as the man who had come to deliver us from ‘ evil’ Masisi, and lead us to the promised land of ‘ milk and honey’.
However, Tiego’s course of action, caused controversy and public debate on the exact role of the clergy in society, in relation to politics. I am however, of the view that, the argument that the clergy should not hold or voice opinions, political or otherwise, is as dead as a dodo.
The political role of the clergy in modern state formation is as old as the Bible itself. In fact, Jesus Christ was more of a political figure than a religious one. I therefore, do not see anything wrong with Tiego voicing his grievances, political or otherwise.
We have seen the likes of ‘ Reverend’ Rupert Hambira and ‘ Reverend’ Mpho Dibeela, and Tiego is no different. Let us leave that, for selfintrospection by the church, but having said that, I however, find it problematic that Tiego went as far as calling on Masisi to resign.
The fundamental problem here is where does Tiego get that authority? And why is it important for any reasonable person to consider that ‘ authority’ credible and therefore, worth of obedience? If we are to know the source of his authority, then we may somehow be in a more informed position to know as to how he arrived at the 7- day deadline.
I am raising this issue of authority, because Tiego has framed his narrative and demands within the context of some sort of divinity. That is, he purports to be just a messenger of some divine form. And this is problematic, because it then moves his discourse to issues of epistemology and eschatology.
The epistemological challenge presented by his discourse would be; how does he know this divine form, and how does he know, he knows it and how does he know it is. Assuming he claims authority from ‘ God,’ whatever we mean by that, how does he know ‘ God’ and how did he know, it was ‘ God.’
The eschatological challenge arises in the 7- day deadline. How did he arrive at it, and what would be, if it comes to pass? In order to avoid these epistemological and eschatological pitfalls, Apostle Paul in the Pauline literature, distinguishes his personal opinion from the ‘ word of God.’
Unfortunately, ‘ Reverend’ Tiego in his discourse fails to separate his personal opinion from the Scripture. May I be permitted, without any offence to close this piece with Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, where he writes, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So, it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness”.