Joshua church wants bodies released

Pastor TB Joshua's church is going to make an urgent appeal to the Nigerian government to release the bodies of 80 South Africans who died when the church's guesthouse collapsed in Lagos a month ago.

South African lawyer Bally Chuene, the local spokesman for the Synagogue Church of All Nations, confirmed yesterday that the church in Lagos will raise its concerns in writing with the Nigerian government over the delay in repatriating the bodies.

A total of 116 people were killed when the building collapsed on September 12.

At a meeting between a committee appointed by the Department of International Relations and the church's local representatives, government representatives urged the church to put pressure on Nigeria to finalise the process of returning the bodies.

"The South African government is frustrated by the slow pace of the process.

"The meeting was quite heated as there is understandable pressure from the affected families, who want closure.

"As a church, we will take a stand and address this directly with the Nigerian government," Chuene said.

He said families wanted their deceased to be returned home so that they could be buried with dignity.

He confirmed that the church was now involved in its third round of visits to the affected families.

"The Department of Social Development will start sending their social workers out with church members and evangelists from Lagos to see the families together," Chuene said.

Government spokeswoman Phumla Williams said she could not comment on the meeting as she had not been present.

"The waiting is quite stressful. It's now a month and families don't know when are they going to get the bodies.

"We are not sure when the DNA testing is going to happen, so clearly it's frustrating. We are ready, as the government, to go and collect the bodies but we don't have a date."

She was informed on Friday that DNA testing of samples from the bodies and their families were being analysed by a forensic laboratory in Cape Town.

"It's not being done by government but by a service provider appointed by Nigeria."

She said DNA samples from families of the 80 victims, which will be matched with samples from the bodies, had already been collected by the police's forensic unit.

She said the DNA results were pivotal in identifying the bodies. Fingerprinting was insufficient.

"The challenge now is connecting a body to a name. At this stage we are entirely dependent on the DNA results."

Williams said South African officials spent this week in Nigeria completing the necessary paperwork and arranging for the transportation of the bodies from the mortuaries to the airport when they were released.

She said the SA government would be footing the bill for the repatriation of the bodies from Nigeria as well as transportation to the various provinces.

"The plane going to Nigeria to fetch the bodies will be equipped with four or five mobile mortuaries," she said.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times this week, Joshua reiterated his pledge to support families of the deceased.

"I feel what you are feeling and I want to assure you that the synagogue will walk this course with you; we will support you now and through whatever life brings. Be absolutely assured of our love and commitment to you as a family."

Asked about the amount he had budgeted for assistance to South African families, he said: "No amount of money can be compared to the high cost of losing a single life.

"We are committed to addressing the wellbeing of survivors and the families of the martyrs of faith to our best ability."

He said the church and its partners would provide spiritual, emotional and material support, according to the individual families' needs.

Asked when he would be visiting South Africa, Joshua said: "When God gives me the release to go, I will go."

In a written response to questions, the pastor downplayed speculation that he was the third-richest prophet in Nigeria, saying he did not understand how such a conclusion had been reached.

"Since the inception of this ministry, we have given out all we received from God's generous hands. We have made it our daily habit to give to those in need - the widows, widowers, physically challenged, little people, fatherless and rejected in society.

"There is not enough to keep for tomorrow. As it comes, we give it to those in need."

Commenting on the "anointing water" given to worshippers, he said: "We are not just giving you from a factory; we are giving you from the temple of God. It is God's instrument in your hands and is given by grace."

govenderp@sundaytimes.co.za