DESPERATE FOR HOPE
As Christians around the country prepare to observe Easter, the spectre of unscrupulous church leaders has cast a shadow over the period. Every year, various churches, Catholic and Protestant and their daughter churches, commemorate the holiest days on the Christian calendar — the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The biggest religious event in Southern Africa is that of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), an African independent Pentecostal church founded in 1924, which has the biggest following in this region. Each Easter, thousands of buses transport at least a fifth of its now nearly 6-million adult members on a pilgrimage to the ZCC sanctum in
Moria, outside Polokwane. Dressed in their distinctive khaki, blue and green attire, they worship, sing and perform the famous Mokhukhu dance, whipping up the red Limpopo soil around them.
However, this year Easter weekend is overshadowed by recent scandals that have turned the church landscape upside down, resulting in debates about how — and whether — controversial pastors and
The gospel of prosperity, which implies that godly people will be rich, spread rapidly in black congregations after apartheid churches should be regulated.
The luxury lifestyles of these “religious leaders” have dominated headlines — while a more sinister side, such as convincing congregants to drink petrol, has come to the fore, while there have been sensational claims of raising a dead man to life and allegations of sexual assault and rape in the case of Pastor Timothy Omotoso, who recently stood trial on charges of human trafficking.
These religious leaders wield enormous power over their flocks and their work brooks no questioning. They are seen to be accountable to God only, which means they rely on the blind faith of their congregants.
Also of concern is that the “industry” is said to generate billions in revenue but exactly how much wealth they accrue is difficult to pin down, due to their secrecy and lack of transparency. This has left the door wide open to abuse.
One such person, known for his opulent lifestyle, is Incredible Happenings Ministry leader Paseka Motsoeneng, who made his name as “Prophet Mboro” in the townships of the East Rand.
Getting a moment with Mboro is difficult, and his meeting with the FM at his Incredible Happenings Funeral Parlour in Katlehong on the East Rand, was no exception.
An aide smiled when asked when he would arrive, saying that because he was a prophet of God, he would get there when he got there. “I hope I don’t look that bad,” says Mboro, walking in over an hour later, after his bodyguard had checked out the place.
Mboro apologises profusely for being late
What it means: