Mbhoro claims photos of heaven were stolen
Stunned and shocked residents around Kathorus, among them religious leaders, have reacted with mixed feelings to claims that controversial prophet, Pastor Paseka Motsoeneng, aka Mbhoro, of the Incredible Happenings Church in Katlehong, ascended to heaven on Easter Sunday.
The news of the pastor’s dramatic ascension first appeared on social media sites on Easter Sunday and mentioned a Mr Nkuna, who was described as a “spokesperson for the church”. Nkuna made the dramatic announcement and was reportedly quoted by an unspecified local newspaper whose name was given as “Kathorus Weekly”.
According to the report, the ascension took place just after midday on Easter Sunday and was claimed to have been witnessed by church members from as far as afield as Tshwane and Limpopo. Nkuna quoted Pastor Motsoeneng as having said that while in heaven, the pastor was “given permission to take photographs while walking around heaven during his brief visit”.
The report stated that copies of the photos of the pastor in heaven were to be made available to members of the church as well as the public at a cost of R3 500 and R5 000 per photo. People interested in obtaining copies of the heavenly photographs were urged in the report to be ready with the cash as the photos would be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
But, several days later, as the week progressed, the controversial Katlehong independent church leader suddenly withdrew his offer to sell his heavenly photos to the public, claiming that the expensive G-5 Galaxy cellphone he used to take photos during his heavenly visit had been stolen when his vehicle was involved in an accident.
The pastor was reported as saying that since he is no longer in possession of copies of the heavenly photographs, people who had already deposited the R3 500 and R5 000 for the photographs of the pastor in heaven would be refunded.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL), Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, revealed that the commission was planning to reinstate suspended criminal charges against Pastor Mbhoro, for failing to submit audited financial statements during an earlier investigation by the commission.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva accused the Katlehong pastor’s latest actions as “ridiculous” and described the sale of the alleged heavenly photos as “another fundraising gimmick” by the Incredible Happenings Church leader. This also follows attempts by the CRL Commission last year to negotiate a tax settlement with the church leader.
Mkwanazi-Xaluva has been quoted as saying that the commission plans to file criminal charges against Pastor Mbhoro at the Hillbrow police station. “We are monitoring the so-called heaven selfies as this is nothing but extortion and commercialisation of religion. We are going to issue him with a subpoena for the selfies,” the commissioner said.
Prophet Favour Stephens, secretary general of the South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) has accused Mbhoro of running a “cult” and she has urged Mbhoro’s followers to forsake the Incredible Happenings Church, which she says does not follow the basic principles of Christianity. “He calls himself a Christian but his church is a cult. People must stop going to his church,” urged Stephens.
The public has also lashed out at the news of Mbhoro’s controversial trip to heaven as a publicity stunt to lure members to his church, while sympathisers and regular followers have welcomed the news with enthusiasm.
“Firstly, he (Mbhoro) cannot even properly Photoshop his alleged photos taken in heaven. Everything looks fake. He always has a dirty agenda, if he’s not bewitching himself,” wrote Ateb on Facebook after the heavenly trip was made public on social media.
“Another one of the many fakes “prophets” filled with demons, deceiving and defrauding the public. In short, he’s a pure evil man. In his mind he visited heaven, but went straight to the pits of hell. Pure Satanic and evil,” wrote Carl Jung on Facebook.
Some followers of the prophet have described the heavenly visit as a joke and asked the public not to take the visit to heaven seriously. “If the Americans can claim to have gone to the moon, why can’t Prophet Mbhoro, go to heaven and take pictures,” another follower wrote on Twitter.
Attempts to get Pastor Mbhoro to comment could not be met when the church leader failed to return Kathorus MAIL’s request for a response on his alleged trip to heaven.
