WATCH | Video of JMPD 'escorting pastor Lukau' goes viral

Johannesburg's metro police department has admitted that it escorted church ministers prior to the appointment of its new chief, David Tembe.

The admission by department spokesperson Wayne Minnaar came after a video purportedly depicting controversial Pastor Alph Lukau of Alleluia Ministries being escorted by metro cops circulated on social media on Tuesday.   

In the video, four JMPD vehicles with flashing blue lights are seen escorting a luxurious black SUV.

"JMPD wants to clear the air ... the escorting of a church minister occurred in 2017, and this was before chief David Tembe took over. After chief Tembe was inaugurated, he made it clear that the escorting of church ministers and the escorting of private individuals will not happen again," Minnaar said on Tuesday.   

Contrary to Minnaar's statement, however, a Twitter user identified as Bo Mbindwane claims to have shot a video of Lukau being escorted in January 2019. 

The video, viewed more than 34,000 times by 1pm on Tuesday, caught the eye of former  police minister Fikile Mbalula, who tweeted: "We are a banana republic am telling you things like this happen."

Minnaar said there was a provision for funeral processions to be escorted, which was managed by the JMPD’s events unit. 

Lukau made headlines after claiming to bring a dead man back to life during a church service. During the service, a coffin containing the "dead" man was removed from a hearse as a crowd of people gathered around.

A woman, claiming to be the man's landlord, told Lukau that he got sick and started coughing on Friday, which prompted them to take him to the hospital. "That is where he died in my hands," she said.