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'Cry and polish my shoes' - Mboro snubs CRL commission while chairperson brings criminal case of intimidation

Picture credit: Veli Nhlapo.
Picture credit: Veli Nhlapo.

Pastor Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng demanded the chairperson of a commission probing harmful religious practices in South Africa “kneel‚ cry and polish” his shoes.

Mboro is among the charismatic pastors who have crossed swords with the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL).

CRL chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said on Wednesday that Mboro had given her and the commission seven days to resign and disband.

He allegedly threatened to spray “holy” water on Mkhwanazi-Xaluva‚ claimed she was corrupt and “lusting” over him. The commission was established the protect and promote cultural‚ religious and linguistic community rights.

Motsoeneng‚ of the Incredible Happenings Ministries based in Katlehong‚ Ekurhuleni‚ has steadfastly refused to give the commission access to financial statements while it investigated whether his religion was commercialised.

“I am a 57-year-old wife and I have been with my husband for over 30 years. I am a mother and I am daughter-in-law‚” she said at a media briefing on Wednesday.

“This baseless insult (lusting) has made me realise that Prophet Motsoeneng will stop at nothing to humiliate me‚ insult me and bring me into disrepute‚” she said.

She has subsequently opened a case of intimidation‚ crimen injuria and incitement against Mboro.

“I will be applying for a protection order as I believe that if left unchecked‚ he will physically harm me or worse … or incite his congregants to a stage where they will harm me‚” she added.

She has subsequently beefed up security at work and home.

The CRL said that Mboro’s utterances appeared to stem from his failure to cooperate with its probe into the commercialisation of religion – going as far as threatening to get a court interdict. He failed to produce financial statements or substantiate claims that he had been to heaven and that Jesus had a Xhosa wife. He allegedly retaliated by suggesting that Mkhwanazi-Xaluva kneel‚ cry and polish” his shoes.

Mboro‚ Pastor Chris and Prophet Mbiza‚ who is popularly known as Rhadebe‚ failed to appear before the commission when summoned to do so.

Pastor Chris approached the courts after being summoned to challenge the constitutionality of the CRL Act.

“Until a competent court agrees with Pastor Chris in his assertion that parliament made a grave mistake in passing legislation that he has determined to be unconstitutional‚ we will continue implementing the current legislation‚” said Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.

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