×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

The Constitution, schools are driven by Satan - Mancoba church leader told commission

Banele Mancoba of Angels Ministries tells the CRL rights commission's hearing in Port Elizabeth that SA schools have been taken over by the devil.
Banele Mancoba of Angels Ministries tells the CRL rights commission's hearing in Port Elizabeth that SA schools have been taken over by the devil.
Image: Eugene Coetzee

The Mancoba brothers of the Seven Angels Ministries church‚ which has been linked to last week’s Ngcobo police massacre‚ told the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural‚ Religious‚ and Linguistic Rights (CRL) that the Constitution and the country’s educational system were driven by Satan.

The church‚ which former police minister Fikile Mbalula referred to as a satanic cult‚ was the scene of a bloody shootout on Friday in which seven people suspected to have been involved in last Wednesday’s attack on the Ngcobo police station in the Eastern Cape were killed by police.

Five policemen and a retired soldier were killed in the attack on the Ngcobo police station.

Three of the Mancoba brothers were among the seven suspects killed in the subsequent shootout at the church‚ which police said was being used as a hideout by the suspects.

In its 2017 report on the commercialisation and abuse of people’s beliefs‚ the CRL classified the Mancoba brothers as “extremists” after they refused to follow instructions when the commission summoned them for a consultation in Johannesburg.

The brothers are said to have objected to taking the oath and reluctantly opted for a solemn affirmation‚ and then refused to repeat the words of the solemn affirmation after swearing in.

Their leader‚ Banele Mancoba‚ argued that their lack of compliance was due to not regarding themselves as people of this world.

“We have not brought along our documents. When I looked at the invitation I found that in that invitation there is nowhere where I fit in. Our mission is to return the world to Jehovah‚ God. We have not registered anything in this world. We do not have any of the documents which were required of us. We do not have them [bank statements]‚” said Mancoba.

A video of the consultation has emerged online with former minister of police Fikile Mbalula‚ among others‚ sharing it on social media.

In the footage the leader took Commissioner Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva to task with his divine intervention and higher truth talk.

“As you see us here‚ we are angels. We come from heaven...Firstly‚ I am not a pastor. I am an angel from heaven‚ sitting at the right hand of the Lord. There is an angel that escaped from heaven called Lucifer‚ Satan‚ which we are here to hunt. Satan came to earth and breathed on the Constitution of South Africa and its schools.

“We are saying that education is wrong. Because Satan has taken over schools after Nelson Mandela allowed him to do so. We are saying children should not go to school as Satan has infiltrated schools. People must not listen to the constitution because it’s driven by Satan. I consider the Constitution to be an evil spirit. We are saying that life must return to the Lord and Satan must go‚” he said.

To which Mkhwanazi-Xaluva responded: “We are a country of law. If you break the laws of this country‚ the system will take care of you. You have broken the laws; you’ve told us in no uncertain terms that you are abusing children. When you deny children the right to education‚ health‚ and social services you are abusing those children according to the laws of this country.”

Mancoba said he was certain his eldest brother Thandazile‚ who was shot dead by police‚ was involved in the attack on the Ngcobo police station.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.