1 month ago
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Moments after Pastor Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng’s church, Incredible Happenings, went up in flames, scrap metal collectors were seen salvaging taking what they could for a buck.
On the other hand, congregants of Mboro’s church tried to put out the fire and rescue a few things but everything was taken by the scrap metal collectors, with a few plastic chairs all they could save.
This is the scene that played out at Mboro’s church in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, yesterday after a large group of pupils from different schools in the area descended on the marquee that served as the controversial pastor's church, vandalised it and then burnt it down.
The burning is believed to have been sparked by an incident in which Mboro was caught on video brandishing a panga and threatening people —all this in the presence of children who were crying hysterically.
It was later revealed that those were his grandchildren and his son was engaged in a fierce custody battle with the children's grandmother, who works at the school.
A witness who spoke to Sowetan and lives near the school said everything had escalated from a family meeting held on Saturday. She said both sides of the family had not reached a conclusion, which resulted in what happened on Monday.
As the church went up in flames, a smashed TV screen could be seen on the ground and some community members pulling what looked like an electrical cable during the chaos.
Papi Kaunda, who was at the scene, said the church being on fire was justice playing out. He said what Mboro did was “disgusting and we welcome this burning”.
Ekhurhuleni district commissioner Maj-Ge Anna Sithole said police have opened a case of arson. “Police will stay here to monitor the situation, and there will be a case of investigation opened, as this is arson after all. Detectives will take the lead and also as time goes with further investigations more people will be arrested linked to the incident that happened at the school,” she said.
A Katlehong resident who asked not to be named, said police were wasting their time shifting attention to investigate the burning of Mboro’s church. “We don’t care. We want justice for what out children experienced and went through. It’s very painful to experience such,” she said.
Another resident, Oupa Nakedi, said he hoped the burning of the church was a lesson well-learnt for Mboro. “I hope this sets an example to everyone who wants to take the wrong path that every decision that is made has consequences. That no-one is above the law,” he said.
“What he did was disrespectful to everyone, the children, the parents and the teachers, because he did not care [about] the impact his actions would have, especially as a pastor.”
Though they watched their church burn to the ground, some members of the congregation said they still stand by Mboro and were not fazed by what happened. The burning of their church, they said, was a chance to start to explore more and better options with their pastor.
Carol Mbatha, said the church being burnt was God's way of leading them onto new pastures. “I believe that everything [that] is happening here will all work out for our good regardless of what people do to try to tear it down and burn it. Besides, we have always wanted to leave here and so this is just a way from God for us to leave. We believe God is leading us to new pastures,” she said.
Speaking near a burnt patch of land where Mboro's church used to be, Gauteng police commissioner Gen Tommy Mthombeni said they had arrested five people for the incident at the school where Mboro was caught on video threatening people with pangas while a man could also be seen with what looks like an automatic rifle.
“During the early hours of this morning, I would say after 12 midnight, we were in a position to arrest four people for charges ranging from fire arms as a gentlemen from the video can be seen brandishing a rifle in the presence of the public. We further checked if this particular person is registered [with] Psira [Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority], and we found that he is not.”
Mthombeni said the suspects face charges of assault, malicious damage to property and intimidation. The one who was carrying a firearm also faces a charge related to the Firearms Control Act.
It was earlier reported Mboro was not one of the people arrested. However, Mthombeni said they had arrested a fifth suspect but did not say if it was Mboro. “We would like to thank the community for the information they have provided to us. As we work closely with the community, we were in a position to make this collaboration and come where we are as of currently have a total of five people in custody,” he said.
Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said staff members and children at the school received counselling yesterday. “Everyone is receiving counselling after the trauma that was experienced yesterday and an investigation will be opened into the children who were involved in the arson,” he said.
