The church of a controversial South African preacher has been torched following an incident where he allegedly wielded machetes at a primary school and forcibly removed his grandchildren.
Local reports state that Pastor Mboro’s Incredible Happenings Church was set on fire by enraged schoolchildren on Tuesday.
The day prior, a widely circulated video appeared to show Pastor Mboro, whose real name is Paseka Motsoeneng, brandishing blades during a tense confrontation with teachers in Katlehong, a township near Johannesburg.
He was accompanied by a man carrying what police have identified as a replica firearm.
Provincial authorities reported that the two young children in the video are central to a custody dispute following their mother’s death. Police confirmed that five individuals were arrested in connection with the school incident.
The video reportedly depicted “acts of intimidation and violence” as men “harassed learners and teachers.”
Another video shows Pastor Mboro’s church, housed in a marquee tent, engulfed in flames with thick, black smoke billowing from it. Schoolchildren in uniform were seen fleeing the scene, which was also looted, according to News 24.
Authorities in the Ekurhuleni district, where the church is situated, posted on social media platform X, stating: “Anger erupted after Mboro wasn’t arrested following yesterday’s incident, leading to the tent burning.”
The post mentioned that Pastor Mboro was arrested on Tuesday morning, though police have not confirmed if he was among the five detained individuals.
Pastor Mboro is a self-proclaimed prophet with thousands of followers across South Africa. He claims to perform miracles, such as healing people during sermons and delivering a fish from the womb of a pregnant woman.
South African Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube expressed outrage over the primary school incident, posting on X: “I am absolutely incensed by this attack on our schools, staff, and learners. No one—absolutely no one—should break into schools with weapons, disrupting teaching and learning, and terrorizing children.”
Police stated that those arrested face charges including assault, intimidation, and malicious damage to property.
