‘Our prophet predicted this weeks ago’: inside chaos that led to Mboro’s church burning

“Our prophet predicted this weeks ago ... this is [just] part of our resurrection journey.”

These were the words of controversial Katlehong pastor Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng's congregation after their Incredible Happenings Church structure was burnt to the ground, allegedly by angry pupils, on Tuesday.

The burning of the church follows Monday's events, where children at the centre of a custody battle were brazenly removed from the school by armed men, who allegedly wielded guns and pangas at the staff and pupils.

Scores of schoolchildren bunked school and descended on the church with community members in protest against Mboro's violent foray at a Katlehong school on Monday.

In a video that went viral, Mboro, accompanied by other men and a bodyguard armed with what is believed to be a rifle, are seen intimidating and harassing teachers.

Mboro was also seen charging with a panga at staff members who tried to stop him and those filming him.

It took about an hour for the tent structure to be razed to the ground as community members, schoolchildren and the church’s helpless congregants watched on.

All that was left when firefighters arrived were metal structures, gas cylinder holders and a few plastic chairs, which members of the church could be seen loading onto a small bakkie.

Scrap metal collectors could be seen loading parts of the structure onto trolleys before police arrived to cordon off the scene.

A pupil from Mpilisweni School of Specialisation, who did not want to be named, said they were apparently rallied to join the march to the church by pupils from different schools.

“They came banging on the classroom door informing us of the protest and urging us to come join them, but this was voluntary,” a pupil told TimesLIVE Premium at the scene.

Upon arrival, enraged pupils poured petrol on the tent and set it alight, she said.

The pupil said they took part in the march because they felt betrayed by Mboro as he was a trusted community leader. 

Resident Oupa Nakedi said he was alerted to the situation by a community member. When he arrived, the church was already on fire.

“It's painful to witness, but the law must run its course,” he said.

He added that Motsoeneng's actions were shocking, given his good standing in the community.

Congregants who were present at the scene seemed unfazed by what had happened, claiming that Motsoeneng had “predicted” something of this nature and that it now gave them the freedom to move to another location.

One of the congregants, Kethiwe Baloyi, said: “The burning of this tent [comes as no surprise because] our prophet predicted this weeks ago. He told us that he wants to leave and start afresh because to have a resurrection, you need to leave one journey and start another.

“We're on a resurrection journey ... we're not hurt at all by this because we've been planning to leave,” she insisted.

Another member echoed these sentiments, telling TimesLIVE Premium that they felt “free” after what happened and that they had secured another location for the church.

Ekurhuleni district police commissioner Anna Sithole confirmed the arrest of five people in connection with the incident.

The suspects face charges of assault, handling a firearm recklessly that could endanger lives and property, rendering security services while not registered, malicious damage to property and intimidation.

Sithole also explained how Tuesday's incident unfolded. 

“The schoolchildren went to the [Katlehong North] police station and they were not happy with the arrest of suspects in relation to the incident. So they demanded that those suspects be released.

“While the Vispol [visible policing] commander was trying to explain the processes to them, another group went off and burnt the church,” she said.

What he did was wrong, I feel it was kidnapping, because you can't take children forcefully. He should've rather taken them once the school came out.

—  Katlehong resident

The police were criticised over Mboro's exclusion from the initial group of people arrested. Sithole denied this was the case as she insisted that the “investigation is still ongoing” and that more arrests would be made.

She also confirmed that the two children were in the custody of their paternal grandmother — Motsoeneng's wife.

Rumours emerged that a teacher from Matshediso primary school is among the group of people arrested. It is also alleged that a relative of the two children has also been apprehended.

This was denied by the Gauteng department of education’s Steve Mabona, who was also at the scene.

“No, we don't know anything about that. What we know is that at that school, there's a relative of those children.”

TimesLIVE Premium visited the school on Tuesday afternoon and was told that the woman was a teacher at the school.

Residents opened up on the lead-up to Monday's violent confrontation as they confirmed that most pupils had stayed away on Tuesday.

“What happened is that the children's father arrived just before the school came out. The teachers tried to reprimand him but he refused to listen. They then [apparently] got physical with him in an effort to subdue him. So clearly he contacted his father, Mboro, who rushed to the office and that's when things turned chaotic.

“Mboro went to his car and came back with two pangas, and his security came with a gun. They were threatening schoolchildren in the process, wielding the panga in front of them,” the woman, who did not want to be named, said.

The woman said the incident had traumatised the schoolchildren, especially the two at the heart of the dispute, and she felt that Motsoeneng should have rather left them with their grandmother until the dispute was resolved.

“What he did was wrong; I feel it was kidnapping because you can't take children forcefully. He should've rather taken them once the school came out,” she said.

The suspects will appear in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court on Wednesday.