Survivor says Joshua helped her find closure
VERONICA Mathebula says she has returned from TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria, having found closure after the death of her husband there last year.
Mathebula, 30, was among 44 relatives of victims of the September tragedy invited by Joshua to spend Christmas at the church at its cost.
The bodies of 11 people who died when a church guesthouse collapsed have yet to be identified or repatriated to South Africa. Mathebula’s husband, Lybon, who died at the age of 35, is among these.
Last month, Mathebula was admitted to hospital because she struggled to cope with her husband’s death. The accountant, from Hazyview in Mpumalanga, had been across the road when the building collapsed.
“Even though my husband’s body hasn’t been found, I have found closure after visiting the church again,” Mathebula said. She said she had managed to sleep without medication for the first time.
It was a bleak Christmas for Tshepo Mahlwele, whose mother’s remains have yet to be identified. “Our first Christmas without our mother was heartbreaking. Usually on Christmas, my mother would be cooking lunch. Not this time,” he said.
Mahlwele said their home was visited by members of the church who brought groceries and spent Christmas Day with them.
“The church has been very supportive. We just want to bury our mother now,” he said.
Kirsten Nematandani, Synagogue Church of All Nations South Africa spokesman, said the 44 relatives had one-on-one counselling sessions with Joshua. “On December 26, we had a programme called ‘Martyrs of Faith’, which was aimed at strengthening the bereaved families.”
Nematandani said the relatives were also taken to the site of the tragedy, where they were briefed by engineers and survivors. “It was very emotional, especially for those who were there for the first time. But I think it was an important healing process.” —