Alfred Moselakgomo

Alfred Moselakgomo

Zion Christian Church representatives have had a meeting the lawyer who was allegedly chained and imprisoned when he visited Moria on Good Friday.

The church has allegedly tried to gag the Mphafolane Koma after the the media exposed his treatment and SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) got involved in the case.

Koma, a ZCC member from Mamone village in Limpopo, wrote to the SAHRC on Monday asking it to withdraw from the case.

He was meeting a ZCC dele- gation and said the church had asked him not to speak to the media. The church had also allegedly advised him to withdraw his R2million lawsuit.

"The church feels that this matter could have been resolved without the involvement of a third party," Koma said.

"The church also feels that there was no need for me to involve the media."

Koma had said that he was "treated like an animal" by the church's security personnel at Moria over the Easter. He had gone to worship but had instead been detained with "mentally disturbed people".

He said he had tried to intercede on behalf of fellow worshippers who had been detained by the church's security personnel.

"Instead of getting answers to my questions, two church members who accompanied me and I were arrested," he said. "

He said his wife and four-year-old daughter searched for him and had gone without food for two days because he had not given them any money before he was detained.