MODISE CHURCH WAR GETS DIRTY
THE late International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) leader Glayton Modise had a taste for the finer things in life.
While his fleet of at least five Rolls Royce and several other imported luxury cars is of public record, court documents obtained by Sunday World this week paint a different picture.
These documents, filed by Modise’s first wife Mirriam in her fight against the second wife, Pearl Tafu, show that Modise owned at least 10 farms in North West and Limpopo.
According to the documents, The Comforter, as Modise was affectionately known by his 3.5 million congregants, splashed out at least R11-million between 2005 and 2013 acquiring seven of the properties.
However, soon after his death in February this year, Mirriam, 64, also known as Mapoloko within the church, was driven out of the church’s headquarters in Zuurbekom, southwest of Joburg allegedly by Tafu, 30. Mirriam, who told the court that she and Modise got married in community of property in 1973, 13 years before Tafu was born, said she then tried to go and stay in one of their properties in North West.
However, she said upon arrival, she found that her domestic workers were chased out and locks to the doors changed.
She also listed Tafu’s father Victor as a respondent in her court papers, accusing him of taking his daughter ’ s side in the fight for the late Modise’s multimillion-rand estate.
“As a result, I have not been able to enter the two farms since 18 April 2016 … The 4th respondent’s (Victor Tafu) conduct was unlawful and he had no right to prevent me or my helpers from enjoying possession of the two farms.
“My late husband’s personal belongings which are local in the aforesaid properties include furniture, clothing, animals such as goats, cattle and so forth, and a large quantity of steel.”
Mirriam’s successful court application was this week executed in dramatic fashion when the sheriff of the court arrived at the church’s headquarters, known as Silo, accompanied by at least seven trucks and a large number of police and security officers commonly known as the “Red Ants”.
Her main target in the raid was to remove machines and material used to produce the church’s uniforms that she says Tafu was selling fraudulently.
A Sunday World team witnessed the removal of the equipment and saw price tags on the uniforms ranging from R400 to R3 000. In her court papers, Mirriam said: “I was in peaceful and undisturbed possession of my home at Zuurbekom when my staff and I were unlawfully chased away from my home by the respondents, who then changed locks and have not allowed us back onto the property.”
She said the respondents also took away church uniforms which she owned and were now fraudulently selling them.
“I was informed by two men who cannot be named as they are members of the church and may be in danger from the respondents and are afraid that the respondents were selling the uniforms on Saturday 7 May. Already my son’s best friend has been killed.”
Mirriam said one of the people who informed her of the fraudulent sale of her uniforms had bought one for R450 cash and received a receipt with her name signed on it.
“I fear for my life and the fact that the respondents are purportedly selling the uniforms in my name is fraud, ” she said.
Tafu ’ s legal representative Tshepo Mohapi said: “The ownership of the church uniforms is being disputed and the items are placed under the care of the sheriff and will be returned to their rightful owner once the matter has been settled.”