Mzansi's miracle madness: timeline of a 'resurrection'

Alleluia Ministries pastor Alph Lukau has been dominating headlines since Sunday, when a video of him "resurrecting" a man first went viral. 

Just to bring you up to speed, here's how the story has evolved over the past few days.

Friday February 22: Elliot dies

The alleged brother and landlord of the "deceased" man, identified as "Elliot", confirmed that he had died on Friday after a short illnesses. In a scene from the video, the alleged family said Elliot died after he had been taken to several doctors.

Sunday February 24: "Miracle" day

The video posted on Lukau's YouTube channel from his Sunday service shows a hearse with the "dead" man who is to be "resurrected". Two women are standing close to the coffin, crying over the "death" of the man.

In the background, the church choir sings: "Receive your miracle, god is a god of now now."

After Lukau places his hands on the man's coffin and his body, Elliot miraculously "wakes up", with his mouth wide open.

Monday February 25: Shockwaves and #ResurrectionChallenge

The church and the pastor continued to dominate conversations on- and offline. Some were utterly shocked, while others simply laughed off the "miracle".

Kings & Queens funeral parlour distanced themselves from the event, claiming that Lukau used their branding to mark the hearse.

Tuesday February 26: Church backtracks

Sowetan reported that the church later backtracked on the supposed "miracle", claiming that Elliot was already breathing before he got to Lukau. Pastor Rochelle Kombou and church spokesperson Busi Gaca confirmed this. 

"As soon as they got here, they started hearing the movement coming from the coffin. And you know, in our culture, if a person is dead and you start hearing movement, people get scared," said Gaca. 

"By the time the man of god [Lukau] got to him, he was already breathing. The man completed the miracle because prayer is key."