'Pastors' preying on those most in need of a miracle

The most despicable act by scheming ‘pastors’ is to take advantage of poor, vulnerable and desperate African women, argues Mbuyiselo Botha

Many poor women - and a high number of them are single mothers - face insurmountable economic and emotional challenges while raising their families without any support.

The state has played its part by introducing child-support grants and family courts to make it easier to claim for child support from deadbeat dads.

Sadly, the long queues at maintenance courts prove that many men still need to be forced to look after their children.

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Such socioeconomic conditions - the legacy of apartheid and a dominating patriarchal system - still make it difficult for women to be treated equally and fairly in all spheres of our society.

It is likewise these conditions that make our women and girl-children the targets of unscrupulous pastors who masquerade as men of God, promising to solve all their problems.

Why would these women subject themselves to be humiliated and forced to eat grass, drink petrol, and have their faces "Doomed"?

Is it not for false promises of miracles that will wipe away all their financial, emotional and spiritual ills?

I have yet to see these "prophets of Doom" pitch their tents in the affluent suburbs of South Africa. Why is that?

Their targets are the poor and vulnerable in our society - who happen to be black women and children.

Take the charges that have been put to pastor and alleged rapist Tim Omotoso of the Jesus Dominion International Church.

He was arrested at Port Elizabeth International Airport on April 20 for allegedly molesting and raping at least 30 young women who attended his church.

Without pre-judging Omotoso's case, it is important to point out that there are far too many men of the cloth who misuse the trust bestowed on them by vulnerable black women.

The exploitation of black women is a race and a class issue; the targets of these alleged sex priests will hardly ever be white men or white women.

The black elite who go to churches such as the Rhema Bible Church go there because they, too, want to worship and belong.

But the miracle pastors don't go for this class of people with promises of miracles that will never manifest - because these people would not fall for it.

Joblessness in South Africa largely affects African women. StatsSA figures show that black women have the worst unemployment rate in the country.

block_quotes_start These false prophets use promises of marriage, money and jobs to lure people who are desperate for employment, houses, money and for a better life in general block_quotes_end

Even those who are employed are paid far less than their white, Indian and coloured counterparts.

Black men don't earn much more than black women, but the latter have a higher unemployment rate.

According to StatsSA deputy director-general Kefiloe Masiteng, one in three women live below the poverty line with an income of R305 a month or less, while 31% of men live below this line.

The high number of women below the poverty line was a result of an increase in the number of woman-headed households, she said.

The reason for the increase is that women were more likely to be expected to look after orphans or relatives and so become the head of the household.

Traditionally male-dominated industries such as mining, construction and transport remain a boys' club, with a quarter of the entire male workforce being employed in one of these sectors compared with just 5% of employed women, StatsSA reports.

So African women are still at the bottom of the pile when it comes to economic empowerment. A huge section of our population still consists of poor and unemployed black women.

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It is this section of our population that is being targeted by these dubious churches led by people who call themselves pastors - but who are actually just a bunch of scammers after money and anything of value they can strip from their female victims.

Those who believe religion is the opium of the people may sometimes have a point. These tsotsis who call themselves pastors are using poor women's vulnerability and their faith that their dire situation will change - if they pray hard enough or buy into the notion that this "man of God" will intercede on their behalf to create miracles and bring prosperity.

These false prophets use promises of marriage, money and jobs to lure people who are desperate for employment, houses, money and for a better life in general.

They promise instant miracles and coerce their congregants into parting with their hard-earned cash, while the crooked "pastors" smile all the way to the bank.

All stakeholders, including the government and big business, need to up the ante and heed calls to transform the economy and empower women - especially black African women.

As the adage says, you educate a woman and you educate a nation. I would add that if you empower a woman, you empower a nation.

Our children - and our future - depend on it.

• Botha, who writes in his personal capacity, is a commissioner of the Commission for Gender Equality