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Controversial South African cleric Pastor Paseka Mboro’s church was burnt down by angry children on Tuesday, following a dispute emanating from a nasty custody battle for his two grandchildren.
Pastor Paseka Mboro’s Incredible Happenings Church was burnt to the ground after scores of schoolchildren bunked school and descended on the church with community members in protest against his violent foray at a Katlehong school on Monday.
The burning is believed to have been sparked by an incident in which Mboro was caught on video holding two pangas and threatening people.
Four people were arrested on Monday evening for violence when two pupils, believed to be Mboro’s grandchildren, were forcibly removed from a school in Katlehong.
In the video, Mboro, who was in the presence of another man holding what police have since said was a replica gun, can be seen swinging a panga at those trying to get close to him.
One of the people at the burning church, Carly Dikolo, told SowetanLive all that could have been prevented if Mboro “had properly handled things”.
“Look now he lost his church all because he entered the school with weapons when it’s clear one should not do it, especially when there’s a sign saying no weapons.
WATCH | There’s nothing left of Pastor Mboro’s church. Scrap collectors gather the remaining steel and copper as fast as they can, even though it’s hot to touch, whilst fire fighters put out the last bits of fire.@SowetanLIVE pic.twitter.com/NhRrhvOTxJ
— Koena Mashale (@Koena_xM) August 6, 2024
“Now the school is closed and the children don’t want to go to school because of that violence. This could have been handled entirely differently,” Dikolo said.
According to Gauteng’s Department of Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, a preliminary report showed that there had been a conflict between two families over the custody of Grade RR and Grade 2 boys enrolled at the school.
“On the day of the incident, the father of the children had a meeting with the principal in the morning.
“Later in the day, the maternal grandmother, who is the alleged guardian of the children, also met with the principal to report and inform him about a conflict that occurred during a meeting held over the past weekend at the house of the paternal grandfather, who is the famous South African pastor,” department spokesperson Steve Mabona said.
After the meetings, the deputy principal and staff members refused to release the children without their grandmother’s permission, and this led to Mboro arriving with bodyguards and weapons.
Acting on the maternal grandmother’s instructions, the department said the teachers tried to prevent the father from leaving with the children.
“In response, the pastor brandished a panga threateningly at the teachers, allowing the father to leave with the children,” Mabona said.