Family linked to custodial dispute with Mboro happy he’ll ‘spend time in jail’

A Katlehong family embroiled in an ugly custody battle involving pastor Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng says it hopes the controversial clergyman, whom it accuses of treating people badly, is not granted bail after his matter was postponed for a week.

This as they shared a joyful reunion with two of their relatives, who were arrested alongside Motsoeneng, after the duo's release on bail on Wednesday afternoon.

The maternal grandmother and uncle of the children, whose identities cannot be divulged by order of the court, were released on R1,000 bail each in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court after their arrest in relation to a skirmish that took place at a school in Katlehong involving Mboro on Monday.

The Incredible Happenings church leader made headlines on Monday after a video emerged showing the two children, believed to be in grades R and 2, being forcibly removed from Matshediso Primary School.

Motsoeneng is involved in a dispute about maintenance and custody of the children after the death of their mother in July.

In a video that went viral, Motsoeneng, accompanied by another man and a bodyguard armed with what is believed to be a replica rifle, is seen intimidating and harassing teachers.

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

Speaking after the duo's release, the children's great aunt Kgadi Galele shared the family's elation at being reunited with her relatives.

Galele does not share the same surname as the children or their maternal grandmother.

“We're very happy as a family following their release, even though it's not over. We just hope that justice will ultimately be served. We're glad they got bail,” she said.

She also shared their reaction to Motsoeneng's matter being postponed by a week for his formal bail application.

“We were happy that finally he'll spend some time behind bars. We're also [hoping] that he won't get bail because of how he treats people,” Galele said.

Speaking outside the court before the proceedings, Galele revealed that there were actually three children involved in the custody dispute.

We still don't know where the older children they took are. In fact, there are three children involved, there's [also] a three-year-old, who they [apparently] don't care about because the child's still [too young].

—  Kgadi Galele

“We still don't know where the older children they took are. In fact, there are three children involved, there's [also] a three-year-old, who they [apparently] don't care about because the child's still [too young].

“So these two they took were living with their [maternal] grandmother. So this whole issue started after the children's mother died in July — something we're still recovering from,” she said.

Galele explained that the older children were on TB treatment and this was apparently interrupted when their father pulled them out of school last week Thursday. This is how the dispute started.

The family then tried to get medication to the children, who skipped school the next day, but this was met with hostility from Motsoeneng’s family.

“We went on Friday, accompanied by the police, to try to give them the children's medication, but Mboro refused to accept it and [in fact] brandished the same pangas he had at the school in front of the police.

“This isn't the first time he does this, he's used to doing these things,” she said.

She laid bare the troubled relationship between Motsoeneng's son and the children's late mother, claiming that the couple's relationship was on and off and they were both involved in drugs before the woman's death.

The maternal family has guardianship over the children.

Motsoeneng, his son Vincent, 27, and bodyguard Clement Baloyi, 43, appeared separately from Galele's relatives, but in the same court.

All three face charges of kidnapping, possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of an unlicensed firearm, while Motsoeneng and his bodyguard were additionally charged with discharging a firearm, pointing a firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm.

Motsoeneng and his son also both face assault by way of threats charges while the clergyman also faces an additional malicious damage to property charge.

The grandmother and uncle face two assault charges and one of intimidation.

“All of the cases were registered on Monday ... we have the main docket against the Motsoenengs and bodyguard and then a second docket was joined together with the main one, which is the one for malicious damage to property,” said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane. 

“Then we have a third docket, where Motsoeneng's son is the complainant. He laid a charge of assault against the maternal side of the children. The fourth one was laid by the station commander against the uncle of the children and in the fifth one, Motsoeneng is the complainant. He laid a common assault charge against the grandmother and uncle,” she said.

The case against Motsoeneng and his co-accused was postponed to August 16 for bail information, while that of the maternal family was deferred to September 10 for further investigations.