Get protection if you can afford it, Gayton McKenzie urges church leaders at slain pastor’s funeral

The protection of church leaders came under the spotlight at the funeral of slain pastor Dawan Rasheed Gordon on Saturday.

Gordon, also known as prophet Dwayne, was shot dead last week Friday by armed gunmen who stormed the Eagle Christian Church in Newlands in Johannesburg shortly after he took the podium.

Two church congregants were also wounded in the attack, parts of which were captured on the church's Facebook live stream. 

Gordon's friends and family flocked to Greenhills stadium in Randfontein to bid him a final farewell. Also present were members from the Patriotic Alliance, led by party leader Gayton McKenzie.

They all packed into the nearly full tent erected on the pitch, where speaker after speaker spoke of Gordon's love for his faith and the “impact” he had on everyone he met.

Many described the 22-year-old as humble, stylish and so dedicated to his faith that he was willing to die for it.

What was meant to be a sombre occasion oftentimes turned into a celebration filled with song and dance. Despite this, several armed men with rifles could be seen patrolling in and outside the venue during the lengthy service.

McKenzie delivered the keynote address and used his nearly 20-minute speech to not only speak about Gordon and his faith but also on the importance of having protection as church leaders.

He reiterated his claim that Gordon's death was a hit and not robbery gone wrong.

He said the presence of armed bodyguards at the service showed that pastors also needed protection.

“If you can afford a bodyguard [as a man of God], get one,” he said.

Despite his assertion that he would steer clear of politics, the PA leader couldn't resist using his speech to speak on political matters, particularly the government's neglect of the coloured community.

He used the funerals of Big Nuz member Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo and rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes to illustrate his point.

“When [Mampintsha] died, the government jumped like popcorn to bury him and they rightly said many people are going to come to the funeral and it will be a burden on the family.

“When another guy died, AKA, the government didn't jump but they [instead] refused to help the family. The difference between AKA and Mampintsha is that one is coloured and the other is black. They always help the blacks and they never help the coloureds.”

Addressing the mostly coloured congregation, McKenzie said the way the government was treating coloureds echoed that of the apartheid government.

While most speakers used their time to reflect on Gordon's life, very few ventured into the events leading up to his death.

One person however, spoke of the weekly slaughter of young coloured men in areas such as Westbury, Eldorado Park and the Cape Flats.

“Every time a young man dies, a whole generation dies with him. We are not going to say we are happy today because the life of our brother has been taken away,” musician and presenter Jonathan Rubain said.

“And so I want to promise, as a young man of God, that I will not be silenced because what the enemy tried to do last week is to instil fear in us,” he said. 

Gordon was buried at Greenhills cemetery.

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