Leave Bushiri alone, ANC tells Tshwane Mayor for lying against ECG church’s compliance
South Africa’s ruling party ANC has told off the Mayor for city of Tshwane Solly Msimanga, saying he deliberately lied in the aftermath of the Pretoria church stampede when he said the premises of the Shepherd Bushiri-led Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church was noncompliant with fire and emergency by-laws.
In a statement released on Monday seen by Nyasa Times, ANC National Youth Leaser for Tshwane regional chairperson Lesego Makhubela said:“We wish to remind Mr Msimanga, as we have done numerous times before, that indeed lies have short legs. Mr Msimanga lied to the people of Tshwane and South Africa in a press statement that the building used by the ECG church is noncompliant with regulations.
“We have proof in the form of a [compliance] certificate that was handed over to the church by City of Tshwane officials,” said ANCYL Tshwane regional chairperson Lesego Makhubela.
“The certificate gave the church permission to host an event on the 31st of December. The ANC Youth League is disgusted by these lies and views this as opportunistic, senseless and insensitive to the families that lost their loved ones during a stampede at that church in December.”
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is investigating circumstances around the death of three female congregants at the ECG in a December 28 reported stampede.
A case of defeating the ends of justice has been opened, relating to the removal of the bodies from the church premises.
Makhubela said Msimanga should take the blame for the lack of police officers at the venue where thousands of people gathered on several days every week.
“We are further convinced that Mr Msimanga used these lies to shield a relative whom he has employed as the chief of the Tshwane Metro Police [Johanna Nkomo].
“The relative who shares the same surname as Mr Msimanga’s mother is not even qualified to be a chief of the Tshwane Metro Police. She was bulldozed into this position because of nepotism,” said Makhubela.
He said the ANCYL was against calls for the ECG to be removed from the Pretoria showgrounds, which it rents for worship.
“We believe in the Constitution. What the DA is doing in Tshwane is similar what that corrupt funnyman [Johannesburg Mayor] Herman Mashaba is doing … promoting xenophobia. The ECG is a church of a black person, followed by multitudes of black people. These talks that he [Bushiri] should go back to Malawi are xenophobic and we are against it.
“That church has a compliance certificate from Tshwane and nothing prohibits ECG from continuing with their gatherings,” Makhubela said.
“There is nothing in [the] law stopping the ECG from continuity with its services. Our stance is that we respect legislation. There is freedom of association, religion and opinion. We’re not going to try and be populist and attack churches of black people. That is backwardness. It promotes anarchy, black-on-black violence. Such irresponsible utterances have cost lives in this country.”
A coalition of parties led by Msimanga’s Democratic Alliance has run the city of Tshwane after wresting control from the ANC, the ruling party nationally, at the 2016 municipal elections.
On Saturday, the ECG countered Msimanga’s assertions, arguing that its premises were compliant with city fire and safety regulations and that there was proof of this.
The compliance certificates have been shared on social media and in news publications — including one issued by Tshwane to ECG two days after the stampede.
Bushiri! Anapatsa mimba mtsikana wina nkumsiya. God allows this or is there a lesson to be learnt from this. He, bushiri, most likely bribed the courts to rule in his favour. Maybe there are learned followers to enlighten us. Until then, bushiri is fake as far as I’m concerned
mutipatese umboni muli nao?
nsanje too much!!
U cant fight a Prophet of God and win. Where?When? How?U fighters U will always be put2shame.
To God be the Glory…..Simuzalora kuchititsa manyazi Mau anu Yehova paja munati tikuyitaneni pomwe muli pafupi ndipo muzatiyankha mwakwanilitsa Yehova kuzionesela nokha kwa Mwana wanu Major Prophert Shepard Bushiri paja munanenso Yehova kuti muzamenya nkhondo tonse tilichete
Start the discussion…Exodus 14:14,he will fight our battles while we are quiet
Why backed by a political party?
It’s not really ANC backing Bushiri. It is one party individual who has been given BUNS.
Mtumbuka weniweni, are you asking this question because you’re genuinely ignorant or you’re just an idiot purporting to know something when in true sense you don’t?
All the same, there’s nothing wrong with ANC coming in and make a statement on the stampede. Mind you, ANC is the rulling party and policies/laws to do with safety compliance of buildings are enforced by the government whose structures comprised of ANC members. Failing to comment on this by ANC is a negative comment on themselves.
Just to show that there are some politicians out there with their brains still intact. He had to comment.