Everson Luhanga
A street prayer session held by the highly controversial pastor Paseka Motsoeneng – famously known as Prophet Mboro – turned ugly when he and his followers began terrorising the locals.
A 68-year-old madala called Buxton Xoli Mtekwana said he was assaulted by the mob after they showed up on his street in Vosloorus in Ekurhuleni on Sunday to pray away “singing rats”.
Mtekwana said he was beaten up and left with bruises on his body – the work of the “men of God”.
“I was pulled from behind while speaking to Mboro,” he said.
“Before I knew it, I was dragged and they started beating me up. More people joined me by assaulting me. While they were beating me, I prayed that they wouldn’t kill me.”
Mtekwana was taken to the clinic on Sunday night where he received medical treatment. On Monday he opened a criminal case of assault against Mboro at the Vosloorus police station.
He claimed that while he was at the station, police told him that there were similar cases registered there against the man of God.
Mtekwana said when the pastor and his followers came to the street where his family home is located on Sunday, they accused the people living in that street of being witches.
“He lit up candles and started praying. He had speakers playing loud music while preaching.”
This was not the pastor’s first visit. Beatrice Mashika said her son, who works as a lawyer, was harassed on Saturday when the pastor and his followers came to the street to pray.
She said her son tried to ask the pastor to stop the noise from the speakers.
The response: “He was pushed by the butt of the gun,” she said.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, Prophet Mboro said he went to pray on that street because there is witchcraft being practised.
“There are big rats which are singing in that area. The rats are also making funny noises in the houses of the people in the area and we had to pray about the end of that,” he said.
Prophet Mboro accused residents of starting the fight on Sunday.
“I can’t point out who started the fight. But there was a commotion and I heard some people have been injured,” he said.
Prophet Mboro has made headlines all over the world for his controversial practices which range from the ridiculous to the disturbing.
He was ridiculed for selling selfies which he claimed were taken from heaven and disgraced for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl whilst claiming to be performing a “miracle”.
Police confirmed that they are investigating an assault case.
