EFB to meet Kgafela II over church closure

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Wednesday April 21, 2010 00:00

 A reluctant EFB official Rev Tau based in Gaborone confirmed yesterday that the organisation met in Mochudi on Sunday to discuss the urgent matter after FOG became the first evangelical movement to be banished in Kgatleng on Kgafela II's orders. Two of their pastors were also flogged by a Bakgatla regiment recently.

However Mmegi understands that the EFB is also concerned that recently the Alliance Church had their all-night-prayer session interrupted by a Bakgatla regiment on account that it was playing loud music. It is also understood that the Assemblies of God last week had to abandon the use of musical instruments in their crusade and resort to clapping after they were ordered not to play loud music by a Bakgatla regiment.

Meanwhile the Botswana FOG  bishop, Seamogetswe Keoleletse, has described the Bakgatla regiment, which flogged the pastors as a bunch of drunkards.

Giving Mmegi his side of the story regarding the incident of the night of April 10 in Mochudi, Bishop Keoleletse says on the fateful night two Isuzu and Toyota double cabs came to the crusade venue at Segale Primary School flashing lights, and a group of drunkards, some holding beer cans, stormed into the church and threatened to confiscate the musical instruments.  The bishop says some of the church elders tried in vain to stop the men whom they first thought were just loitering village drunkards looking for fun.

'My church members told them there is no way they can claim the music was loud when it was evident it was so low, and they demanded the police be called to the scene,' the Bishop said.

Bishop Keoleletse says his pastors were tricked into believing they were going to meet kgosi Kgafela for mediation that night.

'They never got to see Kgosi, but were taken to a roadside where they found 30 men and vehicles parked, flashing lights. They were flogged on the side of the road, in the presence of Kgosi Mmusi,' the bishop claimed.

The bishop claims that at the flogging scene, the men boasted, 'these are the men from one of these English churches, which we do not like'.

'My pastors were then forced to remove their clothes and flogged without their consent.'

Asked to say what step the church will take, the bishop, who looks after 50 branches of the FOG church in Botswana said they would meet with Kgosi Kgafela soon.

'We are very disappointed and amazed by the latest developments. We feel they have done us an injustice and they feel we misbehaved,' the bishop said. He also confirmed that after they were flogged his church elders reported the matter to the police.

The bishop told Mmegi that the sound system, which was used at the crusade, was not big enough to cause any alarm. 'It was muted. People could hardly hear it until they were near the school. I am surprised that people claim they could hear it five kilometers away,' the bishop said.

He also denied that his church did not have a permit for the crusade saying it was acquired that Friday. 'They went to the Kgotla and saw Kgosi Sekai who assisted with a letter they took to the District council for the permit' the Bishop said.