Tribal leaders should cooperate with church leaders

| Monday April 26, 2010 00:00

It's hurting to learn that Kgosi Kgafela II's eyes are blind to the fact that his job will be easier if he allows the church to preach with liberty and convert people towards Godliness, a thing that will make people have respect for themselves and others. The corporal punishment cannot change people, but the word of God and the proper upbringing of Children.

Kgosi Kgafela as a servant of God is under God and not above and Bakgatla should not make him their God. Like all other leaders he was ordained by God to lead and not only lead but also properly and not as an oppressor. In Daniel 2:21 God changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings. In Psalm 75:7 God is the judge! He puts down one and lifts up another. In Daniel 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. He does His will... and none can stay His hand or say to Him what are you doing.

All of us in authority in the entire world e.g. Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Nicholas Sakorzy, Muammur al-Ghaddafi, Robert Mugabe, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, Jacob Zuma, Kings, Chiefs, Commissioners of Police, school heads, managers etc have been appointed by God, but it matters how each one of us will conduct themselves and use their power. We will account to God one day.

I heard Kgosi Sekai saying 'fa re ka letlelela gore kereke e tsene re ka nna ra kgwatha... re tshaba Mokgatla yole fa a buile o buile' (we are afraid that we might as well be punished if we can allow the church to worship, for he speaks once). I am one of those who were silenced on Sunday and denied to conduct a church service in Mochudi over the weekend. The freedom of worship aspect is slowly vanishing in Kgatleng District. Gone are the days when people had the freedom to worship.

Some worshipped the true living God, some the dead, some money, some snakes, some animals, some man etc, and these days we are yet to see what is to be worshipped in that district.  The Family of God church is not the only church that has been threatened so far, but about six churches. The tribes are of God and belong to one another. We live together, we inter marry, we serve our country everywhere for the good of our people.

In Mochudi I was disappointed to learn that the tribal leaders could boldly tell our pastor that you can't just come from Gammangwato to establish the church in Kgatleng. Semorafe is being revived again. Where are we going as a nation with such tribal leaders who can't embrace us all? The Family of God church delegation of five elders met the Mochudi Police Station commander seeking for protection that the church continues meeting pending resolution of the issue and left the office disappointed to learn that there is no protection they can get.

The question is how much protected are Batswana in Mochudi if the police can utter statements like 're mo Mochudi molao wa teng ga o tshwane' and one would be interested to know if Mochudi is now a state in another or monarchy. Are we not ignorantly watching the formation of a rebel group that will in the future be troublesome to the government and not churches only?

Godfrey Mbaiwa